Police have released a sketch of the man wanted for beating of three men, one of whom was killed, along a trail of Camp Pine Woods, near Mount Prospect.
According to police, on the afternoon of May 18, three men were attacked at the same time with a rock following an altercation with the attacker in a Cook County forest preserve that lies between Mt. Prospect and Glenview. Wayne Vaessen, 67, of Mt. Prospect, was killed in the attack.
There are members of the gay cruising scene who have voiced concern over the attacks because Camp Pine Woods is a known cruising area. According to a gay cruising Web site, Squirt.org, Camp Pine Woods is used for car cruising, as well as cruising the trails and clearings. Recent comments have been left on the site since the killing, warning cruisers to stay away from the area, not only because of the attacks, but also because of recent police patrols.
Windy City Times also received an anonymous call, stating concern over the attack and revealing the forest preserve as a gay cruising area.
A sketch of the man wanted for questioning was provided by the Cook County Sheriff's Police Department. It is of a young, thin white man, ages 20 to 25. The man is between five feet eight inches and six feet tall, with hazel eyes and dark, short hair. He was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt with a Michigan logo on it. Police ask that anyone with information please call 708-865-4896.
Calls made to the Forest Preserve Police Department's Steve Mayberry, the only one seemingly commenting on the attacks to the press, have not been returned.