Police search for driver who killed pedestrian

October 15, 2007 (ALSIP, Ill.) (WLS) -- Cook County sheriff's police say they are looking for a driver who killed a man whose severed feet were found late Friday in a south suburban Chicago roadway. The rest of his body was found Sunday.

The victim is 60-year-old Michael Cranston of unincorporated Rich Township. Cranston's feet were found in Matteson late Friday night. On Sunday, his body was discovered in nearby Alsip. The two gruesome discoveries over the weekend are linked to the same hit-and-run accident.

Cranston was identified late Monday morning by Cook County Sheriff's Police. He was 60 years old and lived in a small house on Keystone Avenue in unincorporated Rich Township.

Investigators say they believe Cranston's lower legs were severed when he was hit by a vehicle traveling on Vollmer Road late Friday. Two women walking on Vollmer's north shoulder reportedly found the body parts, but Sheriff Tom Dart says several other witnesses saw them around 9:30 Friday night, presumably not long after the accident happened.

"At that hour on Friday night the people may not have been aware of what they saw," said Dart.

On Saturday, 12 miles away in Alsip, neighbors saw the rest of the body in an isolated area near 123rd Street and Laverne and thought what they saw was a Halloween prank. It wasn't until Sunday that a passerby took a closer look.

"I was kind of shocked. I have a little grandson. I have a tiny scooter I drive around almost every day," said Gene Bettlaff, neighbor.

Sheriff's police say they are confident they can find the vehicle that struck Cranston because of evidence, including traceable auto parts, that have been found at both locations. They say they have not determined how or why the offending driver transported the legless body from Rich Township to Alsip.

"The individual hit the windshield at some point. Whether or not the body was carried in the windshield -- we've all heard where individuals have been embedded in windshields, we are not sure," Dart said.

Cranston lived in the house on Keystone with his niece. Neighbors who watched him go back and forth to a nearby convenience store on Vollmer Road called him "Walking Mike."

"He always walked back and forth. He walked back and forth four or five times a day," said Catherine Miles, neighbor.

Sheriff deputies say they have debris that will help find the suspect's vehicle. Police have also confiscated surveillance video cameras from businesses along the road.

Get more News »

• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•