Police recover body of Iñaki Bascaran, missing Lake View man, from Chicago River

The Chicago police say their marine unit recovered the U. of I. grad’s body from the river Friday night near the 1000 block of South Wells Street.

SHARE Police recover body of Iñaki Bascaran, missing Lake View man, from Chicago River
Iñaki Bascaran was reported missing Oct. 31, 2021, from the River North neighborhood.

Iñaki Bascaran was reported missing Oct. 31, 2021, from the River North neighborhood.

Bascaran family

The body of a 23-year-old man last seen leaving a River North bar over the weekend was recovered from the Chicago River Friday night.

Iñaki Bascaran was last seen late Saturday leaving Celeste, a bar in the 100 block of West Hubbard Street, according to his father, Jose Bascaran.

Friday night, Chicago police confirmed Bascaran’s body was recovered by the police marine unit from the river near the 1000 block of South Wells Street.

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They said Bascaran was unresponsive and pronounced dead. Officials have not released a cause of death.

Private investigators hired by the family released a statement Friday night, thanking friends for their help in the search for Bascaran.

“Iñaki’s family said they are beyond grateful for your support and prayers, and they appreciate the space to process this news,” the statement said.

Just after midnight Sunday, he had FaceTimed his roommate and said he was walking next to a Walgreens and was heading home, according to his father.

At 12:15 a.m., a friend from the club tried sending him another text that was not read, meaning his phone likely had died, according to his father.

Family and friends organized search parties and held a candlelight vigil outside Bascaran’s Lake View residence this week, hoping he’d be found safe.

Iñaki Bascaran was a graduate of Glenbrook South High School in Glenview and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has spent the past year living in the city and working for a media company, according to his father.

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