2nd body recovered, 2 still missing after boat sinks on Southwest Side

A second body has been recovered after a boat sank and its four occupants went missing in the Sanitary and Ship Canal on the Southwest Side.

Divers with Chicago police pulled a body from the canal about 3 p.m. Friday near Pulaski Road, according to Illinois Conservation Police Sgt. Joshua Mooi.

The man, who was in his 20s, was taken to the Cook County medical examiner’s office, Mooi said. His identity has not been released.

The first body was recovered on Wednesday morning, hours after the 26-foot recreational boat sank near Pulaski Road with four men aboard, Illinois State Police said. They found the body of 32-year-old Elmer Jimenez floating in the river in suburban Forest View, about four miles downstream, state police said.

That morning, Chicago Police’s Marine Unit pulled the boat from the water, but the vessel was empty, police said. The boat probably sank sometime between midnight and 5 a.m. Wednesday, when authorities were initially alerted to the sunken vessel by the crew of a barge, Mooi said.

Based on the damage to the boat, Mooi said it probably sank after hitting a barge or a bridge.

The search continued Friday for the two missing men, Mooi said. Illinois Conservation Police and Chicago police have been using sonar to search the canal between California and Cicero avenues. The search is expected to continue Saturday morning, Mooi said.