Illinois man found deceased in abandoned house in Fairfield

FAIRFIELD (GTNS) ? According to the Fairfield Police Department, the body of Christopher Freeman, 56, Washington, Ill., was found in an unoccupied residence at 1200 S. Main St. At 1:38 p.m. that day, police received a report of a vehicle in Fairfield belonging to a missing male from Illinois.

After an autopsy and the investigation, it appears Freeman died of undetermined natural causes. There was no evidence of foul play, a homicide or a suicide. The state medical examiner?s office is still waiting on test results but is unable, at this time, to determine which natural cause resulted in Freeman?s death, the police department said.

Investigators suspect Freeman forced entry into the abandoned residence because it was his childhood residence. It is unknown what his intentions were, but it appears he meant no harm to anyone.

A firearm was located in Freeman?s vehicle in a case, but he had a legal permit to carry the weapon. No weapons were found in the residence or on Freeman?s person, the police department said, at the time of his death.

Officers attempted to make contact with the subject inside to negotiate, but those attempts proved unsuccessful. Officers entered the residence and found an unidentified male body inside.

Fairfield Police Capt. David Thomas said family members of the decedent checked the area and found the vehicle outside the residence.

South Main Street was blocked off from about 2:30-3:30 p.m. after the first officers on the scene saw what appeared to be a broken window through which someone could have entered the building.

?The roadway was blocked, which is standard procedure for any possible barricade,? Thomas said. ?We didn?t know who was in the residence. We wanted to make contact safely through negotiations to keep everybody safe.?

Members of the Jefferson County Sheriff?s Office and Iowa State Patrol arrived on the scene to help manage the situation. Authorities attempted to make contact with the person inside but received no response. Thomas said they are about 95 percent sure now that the man was dead before they attempted to make contact with him.

Three or four members of Fairfield?s tactical team donned exterior vests and ballistic helmets before entering the home. The leading officer carried a bulletproof shield in case someone inside tried to shoot through the door at the officers. The officers knocked several times on the door, which was locked. They broke down the door and announced their presence once inside, which again yielded no response. They found the man?s body in the house.