Police: Man Died Trying To Rescue Kitten From Catch Basin
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Southwest Side man apparently lost his life in a valiant effort to try to rescue a kitten from a catch basin.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Bernie Tafoya reports, Roberto Garcia was pronounced dead at 11:55 p.m. Thursday at his home in the 5100 block of South Campbell Avenue in the Gage Park neighborhood, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. No apparent cause of death was listed.
One of Garcia's feet was sticking out of the sewer hole in Garcia's backyard when police found him at 10:20 p.m. A neighbor taking out the trash had called police after also seeing Garcia's foot.
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Garcia, who hadn't been seen by anyone since Monday night, was found in the hole with his head submerged under the water, police said.
A source said Garcia may have drowned in the basin when he dove in to rescue a kitten that that lived in the yard and had fallen down the circular cement hole.
Garcia had been renovating the home when the apparent accident happened, and may have been drunk at the time, the source said.
Police have not said what happened to the kitten.
An autopsy on Garcia is scheduled for later Friday.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
