'Our hearts beat with them:' Waukegan officials find 4th victim of silicone plant explosion

WAUKEGAN, Ill. -- Waukegan officials announced on Wednesday, May 8 they found the last victim of the silicone plant explosion Friday, May 3. In total, four people died from this incident.

Mac Penman, the general manager of AB Specialty Silicones on Wednesday evening released photos of the victims, identified as:

The general manager released this statement:

The blast happened Friday night, May 3 at AB Specialty Silicones in Waukegan. One of those that died was rescued from the scene with three others. Three other men were inside the building -- their bodies later recovered.

"This has been a long tedious process, but we did it the right way. We were careful. We went through this site methodically -- and we found what we were looking for," said Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper on Wednesday.

Cooper thanked the citizens of Waukegan for their support during this search -- to those who brought food for the first responders and for their prayers.

"Our hearts beat with them," said Waukegan Fire Chief George Bridges said of the families of the victims "We have methodically taken this site apart only with an effort to put these families back together."

Waukegan Fire Marshal Steven Lenzi also revealed Wednesday his team's investigation was complete at the scene. That said, there was still an open investigation on this case to determine the cause of the explosion.

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"This is a very large, difficult scene for many people," Lenzi said. "We're aware it's going to go to deposition eventually, and before we would comment on anything, we need total certainty. That is a ways away."