The death of a 63-year-old Plainfield man whose body was pulled from Lake Michigan near DuSable Harbor early Saturday was ruled a homicide after a Sunday autopsy, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
The cause of death for Nabil Abzal, 63, of the 3000 block of Art Schultz Drive in Plainfield, was drowning. The medical examiner’s office released Abzal’s identity on Monday.
Abzal was found near the 200 block of North Lakefront Drive at around 3 a.m. Saturday. Divers with the Chicago Fire Department responded, and Abzal was pronounced dead at 4 a.m. on the scene, according to Chicago police and the medical examiner.
Belmont Area detectives are investigating the death.
Through last Saturday, at least 32 people had drowned in Lake Michigan this year, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, which tracks deaths on all five Great Lakes.
Tribune’s Kate Perez and Christy Gutowski contributed.