Man drowns in lake at Homewood preserve

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Updated: March 15, 2012 8:15AM

Officials have identified the man who drowned Monday while apparently trying to rescue one of his two dogs that had wandered onto ice on a small lake in the Izaak Walton Nature Preserve in Homewood.

The man is identified as William Kasper, 59, of the 18400 block of Gottschalk Avenue, Homewood, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said Tuesday.

Fire Chief Robert Grabowski said firefighters responded to a passerby’s 911 call, were told that someone had fallen into the water and spotted a hat, cane and other clothing near an opening in the ice.

Grabowski said firefighters entered the water and pulled out an unconscious man from an area about 10 feet deep but were unable to revive him.

The man was taken by Glenwood paramedics to Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, where he was pronounced dead, the chief said.

Dustin Neuliep, of Chicago Heights, said he called 911 about 3:30 p.m., after he and his girlfriend were walking their dogs along a trail and noticed two loose dogs, one on the trail and one on the ice.

They then spotted the dogs’ leashes and a cane on the ice and a hat and gloves in the icy water, Neuliep said.

“We realized that someone had apparently fallen through the ice, but I couldn’t get out to where they had gone under because of the thin ice,” he said.

Neuliep, 32, said he was able to coax the dog from the ice before firefighters arrived, and both the victim’s dogs were taken away by firefighters.

Contributing: Steve Metsch