DECATUR, Ill. — An inquest is expected next month into the death of a 31-year-old local resident in a scaffolding incident at the Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) corn processing plant.

Michael J. Cordray, 31, a son and grandson to three clergymen, was pronounced dead at 5:12 p.m. on Feb. 6 from traumatic injuries and compressed asphyxia of the chest. The victim was in a confined space, cleaning the inside of a processing tank when it happened, Decatur Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Abbott noted.

“It was some kind of a scaffolding situation, like they were working on scaffolding or something inside the tank,” Abbott explained. “This is still being investigated, so I don’t know if he fell from the scaffolding, or if the scaffolding fell and fell on him.”

The tank was at least three stories tall, and Cordray was probably about two-thirds of the way to the top when it happened. Abbott did not believe the victim was alone, but was working with another employee.

The fire department, which has seven stations throughout Decatur, received the call for assistance at 2:30 p.m. The first unit was on the scene in about six minutes. The ADM facilities are on the eastern edge of the city. Five units and 16 people assisted at the scene of the rescue.

Abbott could only speculate on who contacted the fire department. The subcontractor on the cleaning job, Bodine Services of Decatur (by whom Cordray was employed), probably had direct contact with ADM, the deputy chief said.

“At first we thought we were going to be doing a rescue,” Abbott said. “Then at some point during the operation, we realized that it was a recovery. We slowed down quite a bit after that because of the scaffolding. We had to make sure (the scaffolding) wasn’t going to collapse on anybody else who went inside the tank.”

The processing tank was about 10 feet across in size, he guessed. “We sent a person inside the tank afterwards” when entry was deemed safe, he noted.

The incident probably wasn’t the first at the corn processing facility, Abbott said. “I’m going to say no, it wasn’t the first of its kind at ADM in a confined space tank. I can’t remember the last one, but I’m pretty sure this was not the first of its kind. It doesn’t happen that often, I know that.”

Founded in 1902, incorporated in 1923 and headquartered in Decatur, ADM is among the world’s largest agricultural processors. The company processes crops to produce food and animal feed ingredients, renewable fuels and naturally derived alternatives to industrial chemicals.

“There are a lot of tanks,” Abbott noted of the ADM site. “This is a huge facility. It’s their headquarters and it’s very, very big. These are processing tanks, not necessarily grain storage ones. This is where they actually process grain into something else. I’m going to say they were processing corn (on Feb. 6) because it’s a corn facility.”

ADM spokesman Jackie Anderson issued a short statement the evening of the incident: “This afternoon, a Bodine Services employee fell in a confined space while working at ADM’s Decatur corn processing plant. ADM employees contacted the Decatur Fire Department and Decatur Ambulance Service.

“The fire department conducted a confined space operation, and the contractor was declared dead at the scene. Our thoughts are with the contractor’s family and friends.”

Bodine Services of Decatur did not return calls for comment.

Michael Cordray’s funeral was Feb. 12 at Moran and Goebel Funeral Home, with burial in Fairlawn Cemetery, Decatur.

Survivors include his father, the Rev. Larry Cordray, stepmother Nancy Cordray, siblings Lydia (Curtis) Gentry, Elizabeth (Michael) King, Daniel Cordray, half-sister Kelley Horn and grandmothers Mary S. Cordray and Edith Albright. He was preceded in death by his mother, Mary E. Albright Cordray, and his two grandfathers, the Rev. John Cordray and the Rev. Archie Albright.

The Decatur incident was the second this year for ADM in Illinois, which shut down production at its Peoria plant after an explosion and fire on Jan. 9. Firefighters found an open natural gas line feeding the blaze in the ethanol distillery, but the actual cause was yet to be determined.

Damage was estimated at more than $1 million. The plant has since reopened.