Reservoir Suicide Victim Identified as Midlothian Firefighter

A Midlothian firefighter committed suicide Tuesday in the Cook County Forest Preserve, after leaving a public note on Facebook for friends and family to read.

IN MEMORY: Share Your Thoughts and Prayers in Remembrance of Bob Meyer

Bob Meyer, 28, was found by authorities around 4:30 p.m. on the banks of the Midlothian Reservoir after his Facebook note led them, as well as family members and friends, to the parking lot of the forest preserve area along the Twin Lakes bike trail, near 167th Street and Cicero Avenue, said a relative who did not wished to be named. Police also found Meyer's car parked there, the relative said.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's office confirmed the identity on Wednesday.

Members of the Midlothian Fire Department were with Meyer’s family Wednesday morning. Firefighters from nearby departments were called to staff the Midlothian station on Pulaski Road. Black banners and a single helmet were hung above the station’s bay doors.

Meyer's note had been posted on Facebook around 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 4, according to the note's time stamp, which also indicated that the writer's location was near Oak Forest. The online note had a photo of what appears to be the part of the reservoir attached, as well. Meyer's Facebook site is no longer online.

Family members and other people who knew Meyer gathered in the reservoir parking lot, along with officials from the Cook County Forest Preserve Police, Cook County Sheriff's Police and Oak Forest Police Department. Police had cordoned off the area and waited until about 6 p.m. for Meyer's mother to arrive, the relative said. An Orland Park police vehicle with its sirens and lights on brought his mother to the scene.

Police eventually cleared out the area of people and vehicles around 6:45 p.m. in order to move the body into an ambulance. The group of individuals who were there for Meyer and his immediate family watched from across 167th Street as the emergency vehicle drove away.

Meyer lived in Midlothian and had been a member of the Midlothian Fire Department, his relative said. He was engaged to be married, and his fiancée was at the scene, the relative said.

—Reporting by Joe Vince and Nick Swedberg

Patch has set up an In Memory page for Meyer where family and friends can share their thoughts, stories and prayers in remembrance of the Midlothian firefighter.

CORRECTION (11:54 a.m. Thursday, June 6): An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the fiancée needed medical treatment at the scene. Officials allowed her to sit in the ambulance for privacy, but she did not need any medical attention. Patch regrets the error.