CENTRALIA, IL — Marion County Coroner Troy Cannon has released the name of the 43-year-old Centralia man whose remains were found last week in an abandoned Centralia home.
According to Cannon, Manuel de Leon y Pena apparently died of natural causes inside the structure and unfortunately was not discovered for quite some time.
Pena’s remains were found when Centralia police officers responded August 27th to a report of human remains found in an abandoned residence on East Cormick in Centralia.
Evidence from the initial forensic autopsy led the investigation toward a tentative identification, verified by information from family members.
A second forensic autopsy was arranged in order to confirm the tentative identification, as well as to identify an existing medical diagnosis and to definitively rule out foul play.
These two studies, coupled with extensive crime scene processing and other disciplines of forensic science, show that de Leon y Pena indeed suffered an acute episode attributed to a chronic medical condition and most likely died suddenly. No evidence or indication of foul play was discovered in the investigation.
Establishing a more definitive time of death and toxicology testing remain pending; however, the primary investigative phases of the case have been completed for the time being.