In 1983 Karen Schepers went missing after a night out with coworkers at a Carpentersville bar. Now, divers are searching Fox River.
A vehicle believed to belong to a woman missing since 1983 was found Monday by divers in suburban Elgin, a step toward solving a decades-old mystery.
According to the Elgin police, divers identified a vehicle located northwest of the Slade Avenue boat launch on the Fox River during their search Monday. After further assessment, a diver was able to locate a license plate that matched the license plate of the missing 1980 Toyota Celica, the vehicle at the center of the disappearance.
Police also said there is currently no evidence available on whether human remains were found in the vehicle. It will be confirmed when the vehicle is removed from the river.
On April 16, 1983, then 23-year-old Elgin resident Karen Schepers went to a Carpentersville bar with coworkers until 1 a.m.
Schepers and her 1980 yellow Toyota Celica with a red stripe had not been seen since, but Elgin police detectives and divers from "Chaos Divers" made the discovery on Monday in the Fox River.
Elgin police said that efforts to safely remove the vehicle from the river will be conducted tomorrow, due to the diving conditions today. The removal will be conducted by Chaos Divers, the Elgin Fire Department and the Kane County Coroner's Office.
Elgin police are now working to solve her case more than 40 years later after the department launched a cold case unit and podcast last year.
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According to their podcast, there was no previous record of any searches for Schepers or her car in the water in the 1980s, despite the Fox River and several other ponds being near potential routes home from the bar.
EPD said further information will be provided tomorrow after the vehicle is taken out of the water.
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