Tazewell County, Illinois – A person died in a single-vehicle crash Tuesday night in rural Manito after the vehicle was found fully engulfed in flames, authorities said.
According to the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched at about 9:35 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, to investigate a reported traffic crash in the area of Bluff Road in rural Manito.
When deputies arrived, they located a single vehicle that was “fully engulfed in flames” along Bluff Road, about one-tenth of a mile south of Sky Ranch Road, the sheriff’s office said. The Foreman Fire Department responded to the scene and extinguished the fire.
Investigators determined the vehicle was occupied by one deceased individual, the sheriff’s office said. The person’s identity had not been confirmed as of the release because of the extent of the fire, authorities said.
The Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office and the Tazewell County Coroner’s Office are conducting an ongoing investigation into the crash. Officials did not release the person’s age, gender, or hometown, and no cause of the crash was provided in the announcement.
Drivers who travel rural roads in the area may see increased law enforcement or investigative activity as the case continues.
Updates are expected once identification is confirmed and investigators complete additional work to determine what led up to the crash.
