ELGIN, Illinois — After 42 years, skeletal human remains have been discovered inside a car linked to a long-standing cold case, the Kane County coroner confirmed on Tuesday evening.
Search teams from the Chaos Divers located the 1980 canary yellow Toyota Celica submerged in the Fox River near the Slade Avenue boat launch on Monday. A license plate match confirmed the vehicle belonged to Karen Schepers, an Elgin woman who vanished more than four decades ago.
Karen, 23, was last seen attending a workplace party in Carpentersville during the early hours of April 16, 1983. Neither she nor her vehicle were seen again until this week.
“We were pushing against a brick wall for 42 years, and now, it’s starting to give,” said Gary
Schepers, one of Karen’s eight siblings. “It adds more questions than answers.”
The discovery came after the Elgin Police Department’s podcast “Somebody Knows Something” revived the cold case, generating multiple community tips. Police Chief Ana Lalley emphasized the complexity of the recovery, noting that the investigation remains open to all theories.
“Our detectives have received significant information,” Lalley stated. “We’re not locking in or out any potential scenarios.”
The next steps involve comparing Karen’s DNA samples and dental records with the remains, a process that could take several weeks. The vehicle has been transferred to a secure location for further investigation.
For Karen’s family, the discovery brings mixed emotions. Her sister Susan Trainer reflected, “For years, I would constantly look for someone who might resemble her in crowded places.”
Elizabeth Paulson, Karen’s 90-year-old mother, added, “You can’t move forward until you understand what happened.”
Local resident Fernando Sanchez recalled neighborhood rumors about a car in the river, highlighting the long-standing mystery surrounding Karen’s disappearance.
Gary Schepers summed up the family’s continued uncertainty: “The feeling today is not much different from yesterday. I still don’t know where she is or what happened.”
The investigation continues as authorities work to unravel the decades-old mystery.
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