Police who started cold case podcast find woman’s remains after 42 years
Skeletal remains found in an Illinois river have been positively identified as a young woman who went missing more than four decades ago, a cold case that prompted police to launch a podcast looking for answers.
The identified remains were found inside a car that was pulled from the Fox River, approximately 30 kilometres from Chicago, last week. Elgin police said the remains are those of Karen Schepers, who was last seen in April of 1983. She was 23 when she disappeared.
According to Chicago’s WGN9, Schepers and her yellow Toyota Celica went missing around 1 a.m. on April 16, 1983, after leaving a bar following a night out with co-workers.
The case ran cold, however, after initial leads dried up and no new information became available. In the more than 40 years since she disappeared, detectives have continued to look into the case, but nothing turned up.
In May of last year, however, the Elgin Police Department created a Cold Case Unit and reopened Scheper’s missing person case. Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian were given the green light to start the Somebody Knows Something: The Elgin Police Cold Case Podcast, dedicating their first episode, which aired on Jan. 20 of this year, to Schepers’ case.
The detectives spoke to Schepers’ friends for the podcast and laid out several theories that could explain her disappearance, including:– She made the decision to leave her old life behind, starting over in a new place– She died by suicide– She was abducted or killed by somebody on her way home
– She was in an accident on the drive home
Set on exploring all theories for the podcast, the detectives made the decision to search local waterways first, noting that water levels in the Fox River were unusually high at the time of Schepers’ disappearance.
Police worked with an Illinois group, known as Chaos Divers, to locate and explore “several sites of interest” using sonar technology.
On March 24, a diver located Schepers’ car in the Fox River, police confirmed in an update. Dental records proved the remains discovered inside the vehicle were the missing woman, although police say it’s still unclear how or why her car ended up in the water.
Schepers’ family shared a statement, writing “miracles do happen” and thanking the community and Elgin police for helping bring closure to the case.
“As we each heard the news that her car was found, time stopped while we drew an audible gasp. When it started back up again, our lives took a new path that finally included the answer to ‘Where is Karen?'” the statement said.
“This question has been haunting all who knew Karen for many years. She was a young, independent, accomplished trailblazer with a very bright future. She has been missed and will continue to be missed by those of us who loved her.
“Thank you to the listeners of the Somebody Knows Something podcast, those who’ve connected with Karen’s story, and everyone behind the scenes of both the investigation and recovery. Words cannot begin to convey how grateful we are to everyone involved.”
globalnews
