Investigators don’t know why a Matteson man’s body was found 12 miles from where his feet were severed in an apparent hit-and-run accident, but Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said they were closing in on an answer.
“We’re going to catch this [driver],” Dart said Monday at a news conference outside Cook County Jail.
“It’s just a matter of whether they want to come in at this juncture right now and come off as someone who might be somewhat reasonable and had panicked, or someone who we’re going to handcuff and bring in down the road. … If we have to go out and get them ourselves, there is little mercy that will be seen for a person like that.”
The body of Michael Cranston, 60, of the 20000 block of Keystone Avenue in unincorporated Matteson, known as “Walking Mike” to neighbors, was discovered next to an industrial site in Alsip.
“I believe it was an accident,” said Catherine Miles, 42, who lives across the street from the home where Cranston lived with his niece. “I can’t imagine anyone would do that to him on purpose.”
Police found a pair of lower legs in the roadway on Vollmer Road just west of Crawford Avenue about 9:30 p.m. Friday, Dart said. One leg had been severed below the knee, the other just above the ankle.
As officers canvassed the neighborhood that night, they found Cranston’s niece, who told investigators she hadn’t seen him in several hours.
Authorities were first notified of the body alongside some bushes and a fence at 4:15 p.m. Sunday, when a passing motorcyclist saw it and called police. Investigators knew shortly after that Cranston was the victim.
They later learned that a person walking near 123rd Street and Lavergne Avenue on Saturday morning had seen Cranston’s body, Dart said, but may have thought it was a Halloween prank.
An autopsy Monday determined the cause of death was a torn aorta from the impact, Dart said, and found numerous broken bones as well as glass shards embedded in the body. There was no evidence Cranston’s body was dragged beneath the vehicle, the sheriff said.
Anyone with information about Cranston’s death is asked to call the Cook County Sheriff’s Department at 847-635-1188.
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mwalberg@tribune.com
