Effingham, IL-(Effingham Radio)- On Friday, February 13, 2026 at approximately 6:50pm, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Department received a call regarding a male individual that had been found burned on his property in rural Mason, Illinois. Deputies arrived and located the individual identified as Michael Macklin, age 60 of Mason, Illinois.
The Effingham County Coroner’s Office was contacted along with the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office. Both agencies responded to the scene.
Preliminary investigation revealed Michael Macklin was cutting wood and burning brush on his property around 3:30 pm. When his wife returned home around 6:00pm she could not locate him and called a neighbor to help find him in the wooded area behind the residence.
According to the family, Michael Macklin was recently diagnosed with cardiac issues. It appeared he suffered a medical emergency and passed away at the scene. The vegetation brush fire he set earlier caused his body to be partially burned at the scene.
An autopsy was conducted at 11am, Sunday, February 15, 2026 at Meyer Funeral Home in Olney, Illinois to determine the official cause of death. The toxicology report and final autopsy results are expected in approximately three weeks.
The Coroner’s Office requested medical records from his primary physician.
The death remains under investigation by the Effingham County Coroner’s Office, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Department and the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office.
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