Person of interest, vehicle identified in Austin Stanek hit-and-run death near Island Lake

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday that investigators have identified a person of interest and a vehicle believed involved in the hit-and-run crash that killed Austin Stanek, 24, of Island Lake on Sept. 27.

Deputies have recovered a white SUV and identified a person believed to be involved in the crash, officials said, adding an arrest had not been made as of Thursday morning. The office did not identify the suspect.

Stanek and a group of people were walking on or near the 4300 block of Roberts Road in unincorporated Island Lake about 10:48 p.m. when he was struck by a white vehicle of an unknown make and model which fled the scene, according to the sheriff’s office. Debris from the suspect vehicle’s front and right side were collected at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office.

Anyone with additional information in the crash, the driver or the vehicle involved is asked to contact the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office at 815-338-2144.

Services for Stanek are set on what would have been his 25th birthday, from 3 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 419 E. Terra Cotta Ave.-Route 176 in Crystal Lake.

In lieu of flowers, the family of the 2018 Wauconda High School graduate has created a GoFundMe page, Celebrating Austin’s Spirit with a Scholarship, to raise money for a scholarship in Stanek’s name.