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Wilmette Investigating First Murder In 3 Years

Updated 06/05/13 - 6:05 p.m.

WILMETTE, Ill. (CBS) -- An autopsy Wednesday determined a young man found dead along a frontage road in Wilmette died from a gunshot wound to the head.

The death is Wilmette's first murder since 2010.

The spot where 20-year-old Colin Nutter's body was found is located on the east frontage road of the Edens Expressway, several hundred feet from pricey Wilmette homes, and just as close to a Skokie apartment complex that has seen its share of vandalism in the past year.

Wilmette Police had asked for help in locating the car that Nutter was in Monday evening - a 2002 navy blue Dodge Stratus - but a source now tells Newsradio the car was found in Chicago.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's office said Nutter died from a gunshot wound to the head. Toxicology tests also were performed, but won't be available for several weeks.

Nutter's murder appalled Rosey Jenkins, who said she moved to the Skokie apartment complex from Waukegan two years ago to get away from the recurring violence.

"This is a big shock to this whole community. It just shook everyone here," she said. "I moved from Waukegan thinking, 'Hey, it's a better place for my kids.'"

Now, she said, she is telling them that bad people sometimes do bad things. She said she believes Nutter was murdered elsewhere and that the body was dumped alongside the frontage road, although if that is what police believe, they are not saying. They said only that the body bore signs of "obvious trauma."

A dog being walked by a teenaged girl found the body at about 8:30 p.m. Monday. Police evidence technicians immediately cordoned off the area. The last North Regional Major Crimes Task Force trucks left the area shortly after 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Nutter lived in Highland Park and was a 2011 graduate of Highland Park High School.

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