The LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office have announced that a man who had been reported missing and endangered has been found deceased. 31 year old Joshua Szarka was reported missing and endangered on Saturday, March 5th, 2023. Not long after the missing person report, Police located the missing man’s vehicle at 701 Boyce Memorial Drive (US Silica,) in Ottawa.
After locating the vehicle in an area referred to as The Pit, deputies searched the area around where the vehicle was found and located the body of Joshua Szarka in a nearby ravine. The LaSalle County Coroner, along with LaSalle County Detectives, Ottawa Detectives, MABIS Division 25 Technical Rescue Team, and the Emergency Management Agency officials were dispatched to assist with the search.
A forensic autopsy has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 7th. Early indications from law enforcement investigators indicates there was no foul play involved in the death of Joshua Szarka. That said, the death is still under investigation by the LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office, the Ottawa Police Department, and the LaSalle County Coroner.
