MOUNT CARROLL, Ill. — The Mount Carroll community is remembering the life of a young man whose body was found on Sunday.
18-year-old Jackson T. Kradle of Mount Carroll is remembered as a loving person by those who knew him. Now, those people are looking for answers.
"It's devastating. It's terrible," David Young, a close friend of Kradle, said. "He was a loving soul. Never left anyone to not have a smile."
Friends of Kradle put up a memorial along Illinois Route 78 nearby where his body was found. A white cross stands on the side of the road with mementos representing Kradle's interests surrounding it. Young said Kradle was a big baseball fan.
"He loved baseball. He played that all year. He would always love to play catch. He was actually the last person I played catch with. I brought my ball and my bat for him," Young said. "It's just something so hard to get over."
Kradle was hanging out with friends hours before his death, according to Young. He was the person who took Kradle home that night.
"I wish I could prevent it. I wish I would've never took him home," Young said.
Kradle recently graduated from West Carroll High School in May. Michael Bicksler was his social studies teacher and said he was always a happy student.
"He was a great kid. He would see you in the hallway and give you a hard time. Always said 'Hey, what's up Mr. B!' Always talked to me and stuff like that. His loss is gonna be felt for a long time," Bicksler said. "He wanted to graduate. He wanted to get out and live his life and stuff like that and it was cut short."
The Illinois State Police is conducting the death investigation at the request of the Carroll County Sheriff's Office. No additional information has been made available by ISP.