A Streamwood man has been identified as the man who died Thursday after he was found unresponsive at Centennial Beach in Naperville.
27-year-old Manuel Jose Rosales Yajure, a Venezuelan immigrant, was pronounced dead at a local hospital after he was pulled from the water shortly after 6 p.m.
Although the official cause of death is still under investigation, it is suspected to be drowning, according to the DuPage County Coroner’s office.
Dozens of people gathered at LUXE barbershop in Addison, Ill. on Sunday to pay tribute to Yajure, who was one of the owners of the business.
He leaves behind a wife and an 8-year-old daughter.
Family’s lawyer says slow response time partially to blame for death
Since the incident, Yajure’s family has hired an attorney, Edward Witas, who says they are “looking to get justice for Manny.”
“They’ve just lost a big part of their world, not just in terms of emotionally and psychologically, but certainly financially. So certainly, we will be looking for a recovery,” said Witas.
According to Witas, video footage he obtained showed that Centennial Beach lifeguards were slow to action in helping with the search for Yajure.
The lawyer said Yajure’s friends told him they felt that there was an initial lack of urgency in helping search for him.
“They say to the lifeguard, ‘We’re missing our friend. We were in the water, we were swimming, we can’t find him.’ The lifeguard’s response was, ‘Well, go look in the parking lot. Go look in the bathroom,’” said Witas.
Witas said murky waters limiting visibility could also be to blame for the suspected drowning.
In a statement, the Naperville Park District said they are working with the police department to investigate the cause of the incident.
“Our deepest condolences are with the family and loved ones. While we do not agree with their statement, we will not speculate or comment publicly but instead will continue to cooperate with the police investigation into the matter,” said Sameera Luthman, director of communications for the Naperville Park District.
Yajure pulled from water shortly after 6 p.m.
Preliminary investigation by the Naperville police showed that Yajure and his friends were at Centennial Beach together and were planning on swimming to a floating dock in the deep end. Once they got to the dock, the rest of the group realized Yajure was no longer with them.
After searching for him with no luck, they notified the lifeguards.
Around 5:45 p.m., Naperville Police responded to a report of a missing person last seen by the deep end of the beach, according to a news release by the NPD.
At about 6:06 p.m., lifeguards eventually recovered an unresponsive Yajure from the water. He was transported to the hospital, where he later died.
According to the coroner’s office, there is no indication of foul play, and a conclusive autopsy report is still pending.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the Naperville Police Department at 630-548-1421.
Photo courtesy: Edward J. Witas
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