Authorities said one person was found dead in an SUV surrounded by shell casings on I-290.
WESTCHESTER, IL — The Eisenhower Expressway reopened Thursday evening after a nearly nine-hour shutdown tied to a death investigation involving an SUV found in the outbound lanes near Mannheim Road, Illinois State Police said.
The closure froze one of the Chicago area’s busiest west suburban routes through the afternoon and evening rush. State police, bomb technicians and federal agents worked around the vehicle while drivers sat for hours on Interstate 290. The Cook County medical examiner’s office confirmed one person was found dead inside the SUV. Authorities had not released the person’s name or cause of death by late Thursday.
Police began investigating about 10 a.m. Thursday near the Westchester Boulevard overpass, where the SUV had stopped in the outbound lanes of I-290. The shutdown affected the Eisenhower east of Mannheim Road, where Bellwood meets Westchester. Ramps from Mannheim Road to the expressway were closed, as was the Mannheim Road crossing over I-290 and the eastbound Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway connection to the Eisenhower, state police said. The vehicle was towed from the scene shortly before 6 p.m., and all lanes reopened by 6:55 p.m.
Investigators kept their distance from the SUV early in the response. A police drone hovered over the vehicle before a bomb squad moved in to examine it. Officers later approached, secured the scene and placed a tarp over the driver’s side. A white tent then covered the SUV, and another vehicle was positioned in front of it to block the view. Shell casings were visible on the shoulder and across several lanes, and officers placed dozens of evidence markers on the pavement.
Federal authorities joined the investigation as the closure stretched through the day. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were leading the investigation, while the Drug Enforcement Administration was assisting, according to a DEA spokesperson. Illinois State Police described the scene earlier as an active incident but did not say why federal agencies were involved. Officials had not said whether the death was being investigated as a homicide, whether anyone was being sought, or whether any threat remained after the SUV was removed.
The disruption came near the site of a separate crash earlier Thursday morning. In that incident, state police said troopers responded about 5:50 a.m. to a rollover crash on the ramp from northbound Mannheim Road to the outbound Eisenhower. The crash caused an oil and gravel spill, and one person was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. That crash was described as unrelated to the later death investigation. Traffic data from the Illinois Department of Transportation show more than 130,000 drivers use the Eisenhower near Mannheim Road on an average day.
The shutdown left drivers stuck on the expressway for hours, with some getting out of their vehicles as the investigation continued ahead of them. Driver Untrail Boyd said he first thought the backup was tied to a crash. “I thought that it was an accident, so I got out the truck, walked down to the accident,” Boyd said. He said the scene looked more serious when he saw officers with a shield near the SUV. Boyd later posted a photo showing two pizzas on the hood of his car, calling it “Lunch date 290.”
The death remained under investigation Friday. Authorities had not announced an arrest, released the victim’s identity or explained what caused the SUV to stop on the expressway. The next major update is expected to come from state police or federal investigators as evidence from the vehicle and roadway is reviewed.
Author note: Last updated June 5, 2026.