Found Deceased IL - Daniel Sotelo, 26, & Natally Brookson, both found deceased, Chicago, 30 April 2022

[cocomod]

I wonder if she texted him her intent to commit suicide and he is having a mental health crisis?? Or, it was a double suicide and his body has not yet been found. Perhaps he has checked in to a facility. I hope he is found alive.

 

[Poppyflower]

I wonder if she texted him her intent to commit suicide and he is having a mental health crisis?? Or, it was a double suicide and his body has not yet been found. Perhaps he has checked in to a facility. I hope he is found alive.

I thought of that too. Depending on time of day, he could could have caught an amtrak somewhere. He could have used uber/lyft to take him somewhere. The area, like most of Chicago, is very populated so it would be hard to hide to do something to yourself or to just hide.

Could he be in the lake as well but his body moved more due to a current?

Friedman Place, where Natally worked, donated $1,000. towards her funeral.

IMO

 

[citizen_sleuth]

I feel like there are two realistic possibilities here, and this is just speculation based on the little info we have:

1) NB was having some sort of mental health crisis and DS went to assist her, but arrived too late. Perhaps he was afraid he would be blamed for her death and panicked, maybe checked himself into a treatment facility as a result or hopped on a train and is trying to clear his head. Or maybe he went on to take his own life. The only confusing aspect with this version of events is it doesn’t explain why he has been missing for so long—her body was found on May 2 and it’s now May 12 and DS is still missing. Unless he also took his own life, I’m not sure why he wouldn’t have been located by now (especially since most hospitals have a 48-hour hold, and he is probably on student insurance which generally doesn’t have great mental health coverage).

2) DS killed NB and ran away to avoid getting caught (or to perhaps take his own life). Since he was graduating this year, that may have put strain on their relationship—did he have a job lined up for after graduation? If he did, maybe it wasn’t in Chicago and he would have to move. If he killed her, I doubt it was premeditated as he told his friend he was going “up north.” Maybe they got into a heated argument and things went south and got physical. If that was the case, however, I would have expected the autopsy to show signs of trauma—strangulation, blunt force trauma, stab wounds, etc.

I’m not sure what to think in this case, honestly. I’m leaning towards domestic violence based on what we know but I also think it’s possible she had a mental health crisis and took her own life and maybe DS took his life as well. Hopefully the toxicology/pathology reports will shed more light on the cause and manner of NB’s death. MOO.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Have we ever seen a case where someone came upon a suicide and, instead of calling 911, took off?
I think she is probably a victim of foul play, not suicide.
He may be a victim as well. Hopefully he is safe.

 

[bykerladi]

She was found IN Lake Michigan

Missing UIC student Natally Brookson found dead; boyfriend Daniel Sotelo still missing

Natally Brookson, 22, was last seen leaving work on April 30 in the Budlong Woods neighborhood, according to a missing person flyer.

www.cbsnews.com

A body found in Lake Michigan earlier this month

Well THAT changes everything!!! Unless he held her down in the water I'm leaning now towards suicide for her, and maybe he killed himself from guilt of not stopping her or distress at her death?

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Well THAT changes everything!!! Unless he held her down in the water I'm leaning now towards suicide for her, and maybe he killed himself from guilt of not stopping her or distress at her death?

I’m by no means an expert, but if she committed suicide by drowning, wouldn’t that have been evident in the initial autopsy?

 

[MrsWatson]

He's getting a master's in organic chemistry. Her cause of death wasn't apparent in the initial autopsy. Toxicology should be interesting.

MOO

 

[azure]

My feeling at the moment is 60% they both committed suicide, he'll be found in Lake Michigan as well, and 40% DV murder and he's on the run.

 

[MrsWatson]

My feeling at the moment is 60% they both committed suicide, he'll be found in Lake Michigan as well, and 40% DV murder and he's on the run.

Having the same thoughts.

 

[DeDee]

She was found IN Lake Michigan

Missing UIC student Natally Brookson found dead; boyfriend Daniel Sotelo still missing

Natally Brookson, 22, was last seen leaving work on April 30 in the Budlong Woods neighborhood, according to a missing person flyer.

www.cbsnews.com

A body found in Lake Michigan earlier this month

Is there a Serial Killer on the loose in Chicago? I hope the search that's planned includes the banks of Lake MI and the banks of the Chicago River.

From the same link:

Meantime, Brookson was the fifth person found dead in a span of more than two weeks in the waters of Lake Michigan or the Chicago River.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Is there a Serial Killer on the loose in Chicago? I hope the search that's planned includes the banks of Lake MI and the banks of the Chicago River.

From the same link:

While it’s possible, I don’t really think it’s the case here. It sounds like NB may have been going through something, maybe mental health related or some other personal struggles, as she had withdrawn from UIC during the spring semester.

From the same CBS News article: Brookson was a senior at the UIC College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, although she had withdrawn from the spring semester, according to a university spokesperson.

I wonder if her family knew she had withdrawn from college? Did she live at home? Or was she renting an apartment? I highly doubt she was living in the dorms as most colleges make students move out as soon as they withdraw (my friend was going through a health crisis and had to withdraw for two semesters and she was forced to move out of the dorm).

 

[evilwise]

Here's a theory, how about reverse domestic violence where she killed and concealed him before doing a suicide that's (obviously) harder to conceal.

I do agree that modern gangsters don't usually put people in water they leave them in abandoned buildings which they might or might not also burn down.

 

[GraceG]

I’m by no means an expert, but if she committed suicide by drowning, wouldn’t that have been evident in the initial autopsy?

The diagnosis of drowning can be difficult as autopsy findings are in most cases not specific and require further forensic testing.

The signs of drowning depend on the delay in recovering the body and on the breakdown of the body and tissues which alter the obvious indicators of drowning. One of these would be large amounts of froth present around nostrils and mouth and also present in the upper and lower airways. But that is only an obvious finding in a body that has just drowned and has not been in the water for hours or even days.

One would think – don’t they just have to check the stomach and lungs for water? It’s not that easy. In drowning, the inhaled volume of water can range, from quite small to very large. It has been shown that even a small amount of water, particularly cold water, may induce vaso vagal reflex or cardiac arrest reflex.

It induces WHAT you ask? Well, a sudden and intense stimulation of nerve endings in the skin, the mucosa of the eardrum, the pharynx, or the larynx by cold water (i.e. Lake Michigan this time of year for example only) can lead to a cardiac reflex arrest. It’s assumed that 10% of the drowned humans die after laryngospasm or breath-holding without actually aspirating fluid. In most of the rest of cases, when water is inhaled and passes through the alveolar-capillary interface and enters the circulation, the phenomenon of destruction of surfactant and of the alveoli architecture leads to asphyxia. During the entering of water into the bloodstream, the diatoms (unicellular algae belonging to the class of bacillariophycae living in fresh, brackish, or seawater) may reach the internal organs. Post autopsy, if the results are inconclusive, further testing for these diatoms in the organs may be done. Under strict extraction and identification conditions, these particles are good markers of drowning. In addition to a diatom test they may also do a histological and toxicological analysis (drugs/alcohol involved), blood strontium determination (another drowning marker), and biochemical analysis,

Sorry for the long science lesson but hope this helps explain a bit.

 

[abams]

She was found IN Lake Michigan

Missing UIC student Natally Brookson found dead; boyfriend Daniel Sotelo still missing

Natally Brookson, 22, was last seen leaving work on April 30 in the Budlong Woods neighborhood, according to a missing person flyer.

www.cbsnews.com

A body found in Lake Michigan earlier this month

In this link it states she quit her job after her shift on April 30, the last time she was seen.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

In this link it states she quit her job after her shift on April 30, the last time she was seen.

That’s very concerning.

As a side note, I really wish they would note when the article has been updated and what new info has been added, as they’ve made at least three changes to it today.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

The diagnosis of drowning can be difficult as autopsy findings are in most cases not specific and require further forensic testing.

The signs of drowning depend on the delay in recovering the body and on the breakdown of the body and tissues which alter the obvious indicators of drowning. One of these would be large amounts of froth present around nostrils and mouth and also present in the upper and lower airways. But that is only an obvious finding in a body that has just drowned and has not been in the water for hours or even days.

One would think – don’t they just have to check the stomach and lungs for water? It’s not that easy. In drowning, the inhaled volume of water can range, from quite small to very large. It has been shown that even a small amount of water, particularly cold water, may induce vaso vagal reflex or cardiac arrest reflex.

It induces WHAT you ask? Well, a sudden and intense stimulation of nerve endings in the skin, the mucosa of the eardrum, the pharynx, or the larynx by cold water (i.e. Lake Michigan this time of year for example only) can lead to a cardiac reflex arrest. It’s assumed that 10% of the drowned humans die after laryngospasm or breath-holding without actually aspirating fluid. In most of the rest of cases, when water is inhaled and passes through the alveolar-capillary interface and enters the circulation, the phenomenon of destruction of surfactant and of the alveoli architecture leads to asphyxia. During the entering of water into the bloodstream, the diatoms (unicellular algae belonging to the class of bacillariophycae living in fresh, brackish, or seawater) may reach the internal organs. Post autopsy, if the results are inconclusive, further testing for these diatoms in the organs may be done. Under strict extraction and identification conditions, these particles are good markers of drowning. In addition to a diatom test they may also do a histological and toxicological analysis (drugs/alcohol involved), blood strontium determination (another drowning marker), and biochemical analysis,

Sorry for the long science lesson but hope this helps explain a bit.

This is very, helpful! Thank you! I wasn’t sure whether or not drowning would be evident in the initial autopsy, especially if she had been in the water for a few days.

 

[steff13]

In this link it states she quit her job after her shift on April 30, the last time she was seen.

Hmm, the "tying up loose ends" does make it feel like suicide.

 

[abams]

Hmm, the "tying up loose ends" does make it feel like suicide.

It does but then it's strange the bf would also leave and not be seen or heard from by family for this long e.g. missing his own graduation and not informing his family that attended the ceremony.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Hmm, the "tying up loose ends" does make it feel like suicide.

I agree. It definitely sounds like suicide to me, but another explanation for tying up loose ends might be if they were planning on running away together. I don’t think that’s necessarily what happened, but it could be a possibility as well.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

This NBC Chicago article states she was found near Bryn Mawr and Lake Michigan: Natally Brookson, 22, was found dead Tuesday near Bryn Mawr and Lake Michigan, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

So which report is correct? Was she found in Lake Michigan or near Lake Michigan? It seems like the facts are getting muddled in the media.