'We just lost an amazing man': Family, friends mourn loss of South Side pastor found in Des Plaines River

Family and friends are mourning the loss of the Rev. Warren Beard, a South Side pastor who was found in the Des Plaines River Tuesday after he was missing for a week.

“We just lost an amazing man, a dedicated husband, an amazing father and an awesome man of God committed to his church,” said the Rev. Chenier A. Alston, Beard's friend and colleague at New Israelite Missionary Baptist Church.

Beard, 53, was found in his car in the river just west of Brandon Road in southwest suburban Rockdale near the Brand Road lock and dam.

Illinois State Police are investigating Beard's death and did not have an update on the investigation, a spokesperson said Wednesday. The Will County coroner's office will perform an autopsy Wednesday.

What led up to his death remains a mystery, Alston said, who spoke with Beard the day he disappeared in Joliet on July 2.

That night, “He was not in distress. He did not want to harm himself,” Alston said. “It’s unbelievable and unfair. There is more to this story, but we are going to allow the investigation to take its course."

Beard, a father of five, was an assistant pastor for six years at the church, at 1625 W. 75th Place. He also worked as a director at Preservation of Affordable Housing Communities.

"Our community lost an amazing community leader. He was always giving a helping hand, especially helping people who needed housing," Alston said. "He did everything in his power to help an individual to find a place of rest.”

He also taught Sunday school every week. He never took a day off and only missed if he was working, Alston said.

"This is a crushing blow for his entire family and his church family," Alston said.