Patrol probes man’s death along U.S. 30

Ohio State Highway Patrol information

The Van Wert Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol continues to investigate the death of an Antwerp man that occurred Friday afternoon.

The Patrol received a call at 4:31 p.m. Friday from a passerby who spotted John M. Chilcote, 58, lying beside a culvert along the north side of U.S. 30. Troopers found Chilcote to be unresponsive and Van Wert County Deputy Coroner Dr. Matthew Miller was called to the scene and pronounced Chilcote dead at 5:40 Friday evening.

Investigating troopers noted that evidence from the scene indicates that Chilcote died of natural causes while working to clear a drainage tile next to a field he farms along U.S. 30.

In addition to the coroner’s office, troopers were assisted at the scene by the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office, the Patrol’s Office of Investigative Services and Brickner Ambulance Service.