By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA

(© 2009 Journal Group Link International)

C HICAGO, Illinois (JGLi) – The Filipino-American veterinarian who was found dead Saturday (Dec. 5) in the basement of an apartment in Chicago, Illinois, was punched and stabbed in the face.

Deputy Chief Cook County Medical Examiner Mitra Kelelkar told this reporter that Leo Dennis Agustin, a doctor of veterinary medicine, “was punched in the face and had blunt instrument trauma in the face.”

Dr. Kelelkar, however, did not say how many punches and how many stabbed wounds Dr. Agustin sustained.

She added she still could not determine the cause of death pending the result of the toxicology that will tell if there was drug in the blood.

Dr. Kelelkar said she should be able to complete the autopsy in “six weeks.”

Officer John Mirabelli, spokesman of the Chicago police department, told this reporter over the phone that Agustin was pronounced dead on the scene by responding firemen.

Agustin, 39, a bachelor, of suburban Naperville, Illinois, is the son of Dr. Cesar C. Agustin, also a veterinarian and alumnus of the University of the Philippines, and Corazon (nee: Aquino).

He was found dead at the 2200 West Warren in Chicago’s west side at about 6:15 p.m. by someone, who called the police, Mirabelli added.

He did not comment on the cause of death nor if there was foul play involved or if an arrest was made.

According to an obit published in the Chicago Tribune, Dr. Agustin was a “Filipino son raised in the U.S.”

He studied “the spirit of all beings from animals to plants and loved the whole world as his village.”

A graduate of Benet Academy (1988), a high school in Lisle, Illinois, Dennis took up veterinary program at Ross University (1994) in West Indies in the Caribbean, where he completed his veterinary degree.

Dennis practiced as a Veterinarian in his family's Aamerican Veterinary Hospitals in Bolingbrook and Oak Park, Illinois.
 

His customers call him, "Doc Dennis" and is adored by his faithful canine companions: Mulan, Godiva, and Chaco.

Dennis' passions included music, dance, science, photography, pop culture, good food, and above all, every chance to enjoy these with loved ones.

Dennis was a giver of gifts ranging from grand outings to countless souvenirs. But Dennis' greatest gift was to inspire, according to his obit.

“He used technology to connect, comfort and delight. Dennis found meaning in all arts, sharing wisdom from classical poetry to song lyrics. An affectionate intuitive healer, Dennis' mind was only outshone by his heart. Dennis answered life with a smile that all who knew him will forever cherish.”

Other surviving kin include siblings, Maria Linda (Edwin) Agustin, Cesar Jr. (Viola) Agustin and Dorinda Davis; nephews and nieces, Carlos Fidel, Ephraim, Cesar III, Devin, Dyllan, & Kassandra Agustin and Destiny, Cameron, and Ariyonna Davis; and many loving cousins, aunts and uncles.

He was buried at the Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in suburban Aurora, Illinois last week. (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)

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