Parents of Seaman Found Dead at Great Lakes Naval Station Demand Answers

CORRUPTION IN LAKE COUNTY ILLINOIS

Parents of Seaman Found Dead at Great Lakes Naval Station Demand Answers


Updated: Thursday, 20 Oct 2011, 6:35 AM CDT
Published : Wednesday, 19 Oct 2011, 10:05 PM CDT
By Larry Yellen, FOX Chicago News Legal Analyst

Great Lakes Naval Station, Ill. - The parents of Kyle Antonacci, a Great Lakes Naval Station Seaman who was found dead almost two years ago, are still wondering why they can't get a straight answer from investigators.

And they're wondering if the fact he was a witness in a rape case, and then worked undercover with investigators, might have had something to do with the fact he was found dead, hanging from a belt in a closet.

The tragedy was set into motion in May 2009, a female Marine accused Kyle's friend Mike Pineda of rape. Kyle testified on the victim's behalf at the court martial. But after Pineda was sentenced to three months and dishonorably discharged, Antonacci admitted he lied on the stand -- which apparently angered friends of the alleged victim.

"They threaten Kyle, they tell him that he's going to die if he doesn't go along with the story," Pineda said.

"He told me they carved an X in his door, as if he were a marked man," said Kyle's mother, Lisa Antonacci.

Despite the threats, Antonacci helped Pineda clear his name by calling the alleged rape victim and letting the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) record his calls. Pineda and Antonacci's parents believe the woman's friends may have learned he was working with NCIS, and followed through on their threats.

Just a few months after the trial, on Feb. 1, 2010, Kyle Antonacci was found dead in his room, hanging with his belt around his neck. Authorities still have not determined whether it was a suicide or a murder, and his parents feel like they've been misled.

"They first told me they went to his bunk and he was dead. The second one told me, it was a car accident. And it was always a misdirection from what happened," said Al Antonacci. "I think NCIS made a mistake, and it went horribly wrong -- at my son's expense,"

Kyle Antonacci had been depressed and on suicide watch, so his parents admit it's possible he committed suicide. But they also argue his role in the rape case could have gotten him murdered. That's why they had their son's body exhumed, believing the NCIS and the Lake County Coroner had botched the investigation. They hired nationally-known forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden to perform the second autopsy; he said he couldn't reach a conclusion on whether Kyle Antonacci committed suicide, but he blamed that in part on the failure of NCIS to share it's records with him and a key bone which was missing.

A spokesman for NCIS said the Navy won't comment as long as Antonacci's death is an open case. As for the Lake County Coroner's office, it was Coroner Richard Keller who supervised the original autopsy; the Antonaccis say they were shocked to learn 132 autopsy photos had been lost. Keller resigned in a scandal last February. His replacement, Artis Yancey, is now taking another look at the entire case.

"Our main aim is to make sure that there is closure brought to this family and that justice is served with an unbiased eye in the investigation," Yancey said

Please read complete article at links below:
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/investigative/kyle-antonacci-great-lakes-naval-station-chicago-rape-suicide-murder-mike-pineda-seaman-marine-20111019

http://deerfield.patch.com/articles/special-report-death-at-naval-station-great-lakes

http://maritimesecurity.asia/free-2/procurement-2/dead-seamans-parents-demand-answers/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSoBQazb6fk&noredirect=1

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.401061669235.175149.310686519235

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/newsday/obituary.aspx?n=kyle-chase-antonacci&pid=139591414&fhid=3923

http://www.causes.com/causes/490890-not-without-a-fight/about

Editor's note: This Shark tends to agree with Mr. & Mrs. Antonacci that their son did not commit suicide. Navy Seals are made of sterner stuff. In an age when we see the crap and indecency that goes on in our society, Kyle stood up for justice and paid for it with his life. He was indeed, "A man for all seasons". Somebody is covering up a murder!  Lucius Verenus, Schoolmaster, ProbateSharks.com