– MORTON GROVE, Ill.
The quest for re-examining the death of 19-year-old Pravin Varughese received a boost here Oct. 18, when local officials joined a news conference to mark the eight-month anniversary of his demise. Morton Grove Mayor Dan DiMaria and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky weighed in strongly for the Justice Department to become involved. The panel, held on a Saturday, was widely reported by several TV stations. “Our nightmare started then and we still have no answers,” said Pravin Varughese’s mother Lovely Varughese. “We are a close-knit community in Morton Grove,” said Mayor DiMaria. “We pride ourselves on family. When a family in need has gone through tragedy, we’re there to help.”
The body of the Southern Illinois University student was found in a wooded area near the campus in Carbondale. The initial autopsy claimed Varughese died from hypothermia with no evidence of foul play, but a second independent autopsy commissioned by the family found evidence he had suffered blunt force trauma to the forehead, with no drugs or alcohol in his system. Director of the Autopsy Center of Chicago, Ben Margolis, found three bruises on his face and another on his right forearm “right down to the bone” that seems to have resulted from his trying to fend off a blow. Margolis affirmed that none of these injuries were self-inflicted.
The driver of a pickup truck parked about 2 miles away, 19-year-old Gaege Bethune, claimed Varughese when asked for “gas money” had punched him in the face and run into the woods. Police found the body by questioning Bethune, but not till five days after Varughese went missing. The police department has maintained silence and not cooperated with the independent investigation. The office of Jackson County State’s Attorney, Michael Carr, refuses to comment on the case “because of the ongoing investigation.”
In August the Varughese family filed a $5 million wrongful death suit against the City of Carbondale, then police chief Jody O’Guinn and Bethune, the last person to see their son alive. O’Guinn was fired by Carbondale City Manager Kevin Baity Aug.18 for “confidential reasons.”
The family charges the police department with “willful” acts aimed at trying to keep bad publicity from getting out about Carbondale because the city is economically dependent on Southern Illinois University. The private investigation firm, ETS Intelligence, LLC, hired by the Varughese family, is asking anyone with information regarding Pravin Varughese’s death to call 847-886-2455.
“I think taking it next to the federal level is absolutely appropriate and we’ll be following up on that as well,” Schakowsky said. “I say to the State’s Attorney, call a grand jury, get a special prosecutor,” said Attorney Charles Stegmeyer. “If you don’t want to do that, resign and get somebody who can do the job.”