A man who drowned in a bathtub at a Green Oaks senior apartment building in Park Forest Jan. 10 was submerged a few days before being discovered, according to a police report.
Police responded to Victory Center, 151 Main St., at 4:45 p.m. Jan. 10 for a well-being check call after the building’s manager, Erin Brewer, said she hadn’t seen resident James Gordon, 81, in about two weeks, according to the police report.
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Brewer told police Gordon frequently came downstairs from his apartment and she became concerned when other residents stated they had not seen him either, according to the police report.
On Tuesday, Brewer told the Daily Southtown it is an apartment building for seniors to live independently, which means it operates like a standard apartment complex. Brewer said like a landlord, she cannot enter an apartment without calling police for assistance.
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When officers entered the apartment and opened the door to the bathroom, they found Gordon in the bathtub partially submerged in water, according to the police report. The bathtub drain was closed and the faucet was trickling.
Gordon had signs of rigor mortis — the stiffening of the joints and muscles of a body one to four days after death — and early signs of decomposition, according to the report.
He was pronounced dead at 5:06 p.m. Jan. 10, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
The autopsy determined the cause of death to be drowning with cardiovascular disease and diabetes as contributing factors, and the death was ruled an accident.
Officers were unable to contact Gordon’s family, according to the police report. His next of kin had not been notified by the Cook County medical examiner as of Tuesday, said spokeswoman Natalia Derevyanny.
Officers spoke with a resident of the building who said he had not seen Gordon for about four days. Another resident told police she last saw Gordon Jan. 4, according to the report.
The apartments are part of Green Oaks and described on its website as an affordable assisted lifestyle community with studio and one-bedroom apartments, each with its own kitchenette, private bathroom and emergency response system.
The Illinois Department of Public Health classifies the building as senior apartments, which differ from a licensed assisted living facility falling under its jurisdiction, said spokesman Michael Claffey.
