A person was found dead in a home destroyed by the tornado that plowed through Kankakee County this week, marking the third death reported from the severe storms, authorities said Thursday.
Around 4:24 p.m., Kankakee County sheriff’s deputies were notified about a possible deceased person who appeared to have been a victim of the tornado damage, authorities said. The person was found inside an Aroma Park house that was damaged by the storm.
Kankakee County Coroner Bob Gessner confirmed the death at the scene, authorities said.
The deceased person’s identity was not released by authorities as they are still working to notify next of kin.
The sheriff’s department said more information would be provided at a later time.
“My heart breaks for this individual’s family and the whole community,” Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said in a post on social media.
Saddened to share that in the recovery efforts in Kankakee County local officials have now learned of one casualty.
My heart breaks for this individual’s family and the whole community.
May their memory be a blessing.
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) March 13, 2026
Video online shows a reported tornado moving though Aroma Park, Illinois.
Per the latest reports, 11 people were injured in Kankakee County during the storms, though this is the first reported fatality for the county. In Lake Village, Indiana, an elderly couple was found dead in a home that also was struck by a tornado.
The tornado that struck Kankakee County was of EF-3 intensity, the National Weather Service reported, with peak winds around 150 miles per hour reported along Sandbar Road northeast of Aroma Park, NWS said.
It was estimated to have been at least 1,000 yards wide, or more than 3,000 feet, traveled more than 36 miles from where it touched down in the southern portion of Kankakee, through several