A Beaverville man was found deceased behind the McDonald’s restaurant in Gilman Jan. 7.

 

According to Iroquois County Sheriff’s Police reports, sheriff’s police and personnel from the coroner’s office were notified of a deceased individual in the parking lot that day.

 

The area was subsequently secured by responding officers and the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Unit was requested to process the scene. The deceased was determined

to have been staying at a nearby motel. All indications are that this is an isolated incident and no foul play is suspected.

 

Coroner Bill Cheatum said the afternoon of Jan. 8 that the deceased was identified as Bruce Martell, 62. He said Martell’s house in Beaverville had burned earlier in December and that local aid organizations were offering him a motel room in Gilman.

 

Cheatum said there is surveillance footage from the motel showing that Martell left the building and was not dressed for the extreme cold weather.

Cheatum said that the autopsy report in Bloomington the morning of Jan. 8 showed that Martell died from cold exposure and hypothermia.

He said toxicology reports are still pending at this time.