Missing New Berlin man found dead after Illinois crash

NEW BERLIN, Wis. - The body of Ben Oberto, the New Berlin man who had been last heard from Wednesday night, has been found in Illinois.

According to Illinois State Police, Oberto's car was found overturned in a creek off the highway near O'Hare International Airport on Friday afternoon. 

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"I didn't even know what to think," said Dylan Walker, a friend. "Ben was beloved. He was just a good guy and an absolute clown and jokester, and a kind of energy that you just want to be around."

Laura Leatherberry, Oberto's wife, told FOX6 News on Friday that the last thing her husband told her was that he would be home after a work trip to a Crystal Lake, Illinois restaurant on Wednesday night.

Surveillance of Ben Oberto on the night he was last seen

"People in the industry, from far and wide, were trying to mobilize to find him right away," said Brian Wallace, a friend.

Wallace said Oberto's career as a wine representative was his passion, but his wife and two children were his life.

"In the industry, when you are close with people and people who really get it, you are not just friends, you are not colleagues, you are family. And Ben had a lot of extended family across the country."

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While Oberto's family in New Berlin takes time to grieve, the hope is people can honor his life by supporting his kids.

"Laura needs a lot of privacy right now. A lot of remembering and reflecting," said Wallace. "There’s a legacy of a family that Ben is leaving behind. The more any of us can do to kind of band together."

The accident is currently under investigation by the Illinois State Police.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Oberto's family.