A woman who died after her car rolled into a pond on the north side of the campus of Harper College has been identified as Victoria Auer, 64, of Rolling Meadows, and her death has been ruled a drowning. Cardiovascular disease has been indicated as a contributing factor to the death, which is being classified as accidental. Palatine firefighter/paramedics and police responded at 12:07 p.m.Thursday to a report of the submerged car just before 12:10 p.m. Thursday, and a dive team recovered her body from inside the vehicle at 12:26 p.m.
Virginia Auer was not currently enrolled at Harper College, but had taken continuing education classes at Harper in 1997 and 1998.
Divers from fire departments from Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Mount Prospect, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, and Wheeling were requested at the scene. Diver’s thoroughly checked the pond for any possible additional victims as a routine procedure.
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