Kane County Reporter

Authorities in Elgin have recovered a car linked to the 1983 disappearance of Karen Schepers. The vehicle, a yellow 1980 Toyota Celica, was found in the Fox River during a search conducted with Chaos Divers. The Kane County Coroner confirmed the remains inside were those of Schepers.

Schepers vanished on April 15, 1983, after visiting a bar in Carpentersville. Her case was reopened this year by the Elgin Police Department's Cold Case Unit, overseen by Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian. The case gained attention through the department's podcast, "Somebody Knows Something."

Chief Ana Lalley acknowledged, “Through this podcast, the department has received information from many people, and I want to thank everyone who has provided information.” She added that the aim was "to generate leads and garner information into Karen’s case so that we could eventually provide answers to Karen’s family and friends."

Chaos Divers used sonar to find potential sites of interest in the river and located the Celica on Monday. Chief Lalley noted, “It is important to stress that this is the beginning of what is still considered an open and active investigation with many questions still to be answered. As we continue to investigate this case, we will remain steadfast in our resolve to provide answers and closure to Karen’s family.”