Man found in burning vehicle in Marengo identified

A 27-year-old Arlington Heights man was identified as the person found in a vehicle engulfed in flames southwest of Marengo in February, the McHenry County Coroner’s Office said.

The man, identified Tuesday as Thomas Ciemniak, could not be identified at the time of the incident because of the ”intense heat of the fire” and a forensic odontologist and DNA evidence was used to make the identification, the McHenry County Coroner’s Office said.

The investigation by McHenry County Sheriff’s Office is closed, Deputy Kevin Byrnes said late Tuesday. Nothing suspicious was found about the fire or death.

Ciemniak was a software engineer for Capital One after graduating from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, according to his obituary. He attended Rolling Meadows High School where was in the marching, symphonic and jazz bands. He also was on the soccer, swimming, tennis and math teams.

“He was an incredibly kind, patient and gentle person who was loved deeply by his friends and family,” according to the obituary. “He made it a priority to support his loved ones when they needed him, and always showed up with joy, compassion, and playfulness.”

Deputies responded about 1:50 a.m. Feb. 4 to a call for a motorist assist near the intersection of Blissdale and Jackson roads, McHenry County sheriff’s Deputy Kevin Byrnes said at the time. The deputies then called the Marengo Fire Protection District.

The fire district responded, but the fire was “basically out” when crews arrived, fire Chief John Kimmel said in Feburary. The fire had burned to a point where there was nothing left on the car to burn, he said.

Once the fire was extinguished, a body was found inside the vehicle, Byrnes said.

The McHenry County Coroner’s Office continues to work collaboratively with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office on the investigation, according to the release.