A Chicago family is seeking answers after a missing man was found deceased in a vacant lot on the city’s South Side.
The victim, identified as 60-year-old Leo Gladney, was discovered on December 10 at approximately 9:00 a.m. near 9336 South Chicago Avenue.
According to reports, a mail carrier delivering mail in the area accidentally tripped over the body, which had been hidden beneath a layer of snow.
Mr. Gladney had been missing for two weeks prior to being found.
While his body was located on the South Side, family members emphasize that he was not a “Southsider” and had no known reason to be in that area.
He lived at 4307 W. 21st Place on the city’s West Side and was unfamiliar with the neighborhood where he was discovered.
Disturbingly, evidence suggests that someone intentionally covered his body with snow days before the mailman found him, effectively hiding him from public view.
Mr. Gladney’s body remained at the morgue for two days before his family was finally notified.
Chicago Police are investigating the circumstances of his death and how he ended up in a vacant lot so far from home.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office has not yet released a cause of death.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Chicago Police detectives.
