The body of a missing US Navy sailor has been pulled from a port near Lake Michigan after he was last seen leaving a bar the day after St. Patrick’s Day.
Seamus Gray, 21, who went missing last month and caused weeks of agony to his mother Kerry, was found at the lake in Waukegan, Illinois, officials said.
In the frantic search, emergency responders and Navy personnel turned the city around when Kerry posted social media updates describing her heartbreak.
Police officers were conducting a traffic stop near the Port of Waukegan around 7 p.m. Wednesday when workers stopped them, according to police.
ComEd staff were conducting routine work near the port and reporting what they believed to be a body in the water.
Seamus Gray (pictured), 21, who went missing last month, was found along the lake in Waukegan, Illinois, officials said. His mother, Kerry Gray (pictured), first flew in from Florida to help with the search
In surveillance footage, the sailor can be seen walking down a back alley after exiting the Ibiza Bar on Genesee Street in Waukegan. He was later seen at the intersection of Sheridan Road and Washington Street around 1:40 a.m. on March 18
The Waukegan Fire Department helped an officer drag the body to shore, and Police Chief Edgardo Navarro said it matched Gray’s physical description.
The clothing on the body also matched his description, WGN9 reported.
The Lake County coroner later confirmed the body belonged to Gray, according to the outlet.
An autopsy will be performed on Thursday to determine the cause of death.
Gray was last seen leaving a bar in Waukegan on March 18, the day after St. Patrick’s Day, with police describing the group of friends as intoxicated.
Gray was then spotted near the Metra station and did not show up for his 2 p.m. curfew, according to WGN9.
Waukegan and North Chicago police, firefighters, the Office of Naval Intelligence, water rescue teams and about 100 Navy personnel spent hours searching the lake shore for the next few days.
Gray’s mother also traveled from Florida to Waukegan to look for her son.
Detectives found CCTV footage of Gray exiting the Ibiza Bar on Genesee Street in Waukegan.
The video shows him leaving the bar alone down a back alley in a pink outfit.
He was later seen at the intersection of Sheridan Road and Washington Street around 1:40 a.m. on March 18 and had not been seen or spoken to since leaving the bar.
Seamus Gray (pictured) was last seen leaving a bar in Waukegan on March 18, the day after St. Patrick’s Day
“Tomorrow I must do what no mother should ever do. I must go on a foot search with the police, fire department and many others who will be joining to find the body of my son Séamus Grey,” Kerry wrote on March 23
As I write this, I’m trying not to throw up. I can’t sleep and won’t sleep until I have answers about where my son is and what happened to him,” Kerry Gray wrote on social media
An investigation into the death is ongoing involving the Waukegan Police Department, the US Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
Kerry posted to social media shortly after her son’s disappearance.
Kerry wrote: “The last 8 days have been grueling, nauseating, heartbreaking and quite frankly soul crushing.
“This boy is my heart, my world, my love of my life along with his little brother Deck.”
She added: “As I’m typing this, I’m trying not to throw up. I can’t and won’t sleep until I have answers about where my son is and what happened to him.’
In a social media post in March, Kerry wrote that she and a friend were taking part in the investigation, searching dumpsters for her son’s body.
“Tomorrow I must do what no mother should ever do. I must embark on a foot search with the police, fire department and many others who will be joining to find the body of my son Séamus Grey,” she wrote on March 23.
Kerry flew to Florida a week after the disappearance and said she was “burned out” at having to leave without finding her son or his body.
“This boy is my heart, my world, my love of my life along with his little brother Deck,” Kerry wrote in a post.
She said she couldn’t and couldn’t sleep without answers about where her son was or what happened to him.
“Séamus was willing to die to serve and defend our country. Séamus should not be missed or die this way,” Kerry wrote.
Anyone with information can submit a tip through the WPD Tip App, call the Tip Line at 847-360-9001, or use the keyword WPDTIP and message/tip to 847411.