Body Found in Little Wabash in September Identified

(THE TATTOOS THAT HELPED IDENTIFY LADONTE EALY)

Authorities have determined the identity of the man whose body was found outside Effingham in September.

The body has been identified as that of 25-year-old Ladonte D. Ealy of Dayton, Ohio.

On September 18, the Effingham County Sheriff's Department was called to the Little Wabash River regarding a death investigation. Deputies responded to the site southwest of Effingham near the Summit and Jackson township line, at the end of 1175th Street. Two young men kayaking down the river spotted a body along the river bank lodged in between the trees and river debris.

The Coroner's Office, Illinois State Police Investigations, Illinois State Police Crime Scene Unit, and the Effingham County Dive Rescue Team responded to the scene. County Coroner Kim Rhodes pronounced the man dead at the scene. Dive Team members removed the man from the river bank and he was transported to the morgue at HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital. Dive Rescue Team Commander Terry Trueblood estimated at the time that the body had been in the water for 10 to 12 days.

An extensive investigation by the Coroner's Office and the Illinois State Police led to the identification of the body through DNA and dental records. 

Rhodes said preliminary investigation revealed that Ealy had been released from St. Louis County Jail on September 1. His whereabouts after that, and how he ended up in Effingham, are still under investigation by local law enforcement authorities.

Deputy Coroner Karen Hoene utilized social media to find that the tattoos photographed at the autopsy were an exact match to Ealy's tattoos on his Facebook page. Tattoos on both arms were identical. There was a nautical star on both of his upper forearms, stars on each elbow, and flames going up both of his biceps. Several upper and lower teeth were missing and were later found during the autopsy. Ealy was wearing gray boxer shorts and no shirt.

The autopsy and toxicology results are still pending and the cause of death is still undetermined.

Anyone with information on Ladonte Ealy or anyone who say any unusual activity near the Little Wabash River during the first week of September is asked to contact Illinois State Police Special Agent Tim Brown at 217-342-7861 or Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes at 217-342-4651.