Wedding guest has been missing since day of Cicero, Illinois home explosion, fire
The family of the bride and groom who lost their Cicero, Illinois home to an explosion and fire on their wedding day said one member of their family has been missing since that day.
Meanwhile, the Cook County Medical Examiner's office on Monday was still trying to identify the person whose body was found at the scene.
The explosion rocked the neighborhood around 5 p.m. Saturday in a two-story apartment building in the 2200 block of Central Avenue. The building erupted in a raging fire after the explosion.
At the time, Eleni Vrettos, who lived in the home, was away and in the middle of her own wedding ceremony.
Meanwhile, a wedding guest has not been seen since — and now his family is asking for help in finding him.
The wedding guest took his mother's car and left the wedding celebration on Saturday.
Now, with demolition under way at the site of the home that was destroyed, and an investigation ongoing, Cicero officials say they suspect a gas leak caused the explosion.
Initially, the family that lived in the apartment where the explosion was believed to have occurred told police and fire crews everyone in the family had been at the wedding, or otherwise outside the building, when the explosion happened.
But Cicero town officials announced Sunday that fire investigators did end up finding the remains of someone who apparently died as a result of the fire and explosion. Family members had said they thought the person had not been inside the building at the time.
"Obviously, we know everything is under investigation right now, so we're just dealing with the aftermath of grieving," said Vrettos. "But also, there's just so much more ahead that we're taking it literally hour by hour."
Vrettos grew up in the home, and she and her new husband, Tom, had moved in together there to start their new life. She said her wedding ceremony had just ended when they heard there was something wrong.
"It's difficult. He had medication that he needed in the home too, so that's hard," said Vrettos. "We've been going to the pharmacy, trying to get a police report."
Now, with remains of her home having been torn down and taken away, Vrettos is looking for her six cats that were in the building.
"I mean, this is our home, so I'm just — even though I know there's nothing left — but I want to see if they're around, and hoping, I just have a feeling they're out there," Vrettos said.
The cats are named Bambi, Tucker, Reya, Graham, Old Boy, and Grey.
"They're part of our family and we want them home," Vrettos said.
Investigators said neighbors were also impacted. Eleven families were displaced in all.
The displaced families are being assisted by the Town of Cicero.
