Preliminary Autopsy Indicates North Judson Man Drowned

DNR law enforcementPreliminary autopsy results indicate the North Judson man whose body was pulled from a ditch on Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area property Monday afternoon may have drowned. DNR Law Enforcement spokesman Shawn D. Brown says 22-year-old Stephen Argady had water in his lungs, and alcohol was detected in his system.

Crews mowing in the area off of Starke County Road 50 South spotted a pickup truck upside down in a ditch Monday and contacted the police. Brown says the embankment in the area was steep, which is consistent with a rollover accident. It’s believed to have happened sometime Saturday night or early Sunday morning. Argady’s parents reported him missing Sunday. A diver found his body in the truck Monday afternoon.

Conservation Officers are talking to people who last saw Argady in an effort to determine why he was in the area and narrow the time frame of his death. They do not believe foul play was a factor.

Final autopsy results are pending and will be released by the Starke County Coroner’s Office when they are posted.