Vehicle and body recovered from retention pond at St. Elizabeth's Hospital

On Monday February 6, 2023, The O’Fallon Police Department received a report of a vehicle located underwater in the retention pond on the northwest side of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital.  We were notified by a volunteer group, Brother’s Underwater Recovery, who specializes in searching for missing people near waterways.  Brother's Underwater Recovery had recently begun investigating the case of David Foster who was reported missing on 01-13-23 out of Swansea, IL.  The group used a drone to fly over the pond where they observed what they believed to be a submerged vehicle. The volunteer group, with the permission from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and the O’Fallon Police Department dove the lake and verified the vehicle was occupied and belonged to David Foster.  They immediately withdrew and the scene was secured.

We then contacted the Swansea Police Department and the Swansea Fire Department Dive Team to assist with the recovery of the vehicle which was located about 30 feet from the shore.   The vehicle was removed from the pond, and it was confirmed to be occupied by David Foster. The Illinois State Police Crime Scene Unit and the St Clair County Coroner’s Office are assisting with the investigation. We do not suspect any foul play as it was previously reported Mr. Foster may have been suffering from some type of medical emergency and was reported to be in route to the hospital the day he went missing. 

Our sympathies go out to the family and friends of Mr. David Foster.