Yarianna Wheeler Biography – Wiki
Yarianna Wheeler, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed the identity of a missing black pregnant woman whose body was dragged from Lake Michigan earlier this month.
The woman who was referred to as the “Jane Doe of Lake Michigan” has now been identified as Yarianna G Wheeler, according to the sheriff’s office. She had been living in Chicago but was originally from Bellwood, police said. A surveillance photo of Wheeler was used to point detectives in the right direction.
Age
Yarianna Wheeler has died at the age of 19-years-old.
Pregnant Chicago teen’s Body Found in Lake Michigan
Yarianna Wheeler, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the identity of a missing black pregnant woman whose body was washed away from Lake Michigan earlier this month.
“When they saw the image, they knew they were on the right track. From there, they were able to get dental records that ultimately led to her being identified,” said Lt. Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Wheeler’s body was recovered on August 15, 2021, after a fisherman spotted him floating in the water three miles southeast of Waukegan Harbor. She was six to seven months pregnant and her body had probably been in the water for several days. Her autopsy showed that she had suffered “several cutting force injuries”, but the official cause of her death has not yet been revealed. Her death is now being investigated as a homicide. After Lake County Sheriff’s detectives received a tip, Wheeler was identified using dental records.
Covelli said the image was taken on the last known day she was seen alive. Wheeler’s body was believed to have been in the water for no more than seven to 12 days when she recovered on August 15. The sheriff’s office had previously released an outline of what the woman might look like.
Authorities have said Wheeler may have entered the water “anywhere from the northern shore of Indiana to the northern Illinois shore of Lake Michigan,” according to the New York Post. Hours after Wheeler’s body was located, a US Coast Guard helicopter found another body of a man, identified as Martin Mendoza, 49, of Waukesha, Wisconsin, however, authorities say Mendoza drowned in the port of 63rd Street in Chicago and the incidents are unrelated.