Missing woman’s car pulled from Fox River Tuesday was found and misidentified 3 years ago

The car pulled from the Fox River Tuesday that belonged to an Elgin woman who went missing in 1983 could have been recovered three years earlier but was misidentified by an Elgin Fire Department diver as an ATV.

On Tuesday, the Elgin police and fire departments, working with Chaos Divers, recovered the car owned by Karen Schepers, who grew up in Sycamore and was 23 when she vanished 42 years ago after attending a party with coworkers.

Her case had become the focus of Elgin’s newly formed Cold Case Unit, culminating in the recovery of her 1980 Toyota Celica and human remains found inside.

But on Wednesday night, Elgin police said in a press release that they were approached by a man who believed he found the car in 2022.

The man told authorities on Tuesday that he had been using sonar equipment while fishing in the area three years ago and found an “unusual object” in the river. He then reported it to the Elgin Fire Department.

The fire department followed up, deploying an underwater, remote-operated vehicle equipped with both camera and sonar technology, identifying what appeared to be a small vehicle submerged in the water, authorities said.

A diver entered the river and made physical contact with a tire. But because of its small diameter, the diver thought the wheel belonged to an all-terrain or utility-task vehicle.

No further investigation was done.

On Wednesday, Fire Chief Robb Cagann said they made a mistake in not scrutinizing the incident further.

“Upon careful review, I concluded that more should have been done in 2022, including a comprehensive underwater examination of the vehicle,” Cagann said in the release. “It is of vital importance to me that this information be provided to the public and more importantly, to the family of Karen Schepers, so all know that a thorough review of the incident was conducted as soon as this information came to my attention.”

Cagann said dive team leadership has changed since 2022 and that operational protocols had already been updated.

“The fire department will also ensure that the circumstances surrounding this incident never happen during any dives,” he said. “Lastly, I do not want the actions of the Elgin Fire Department to take away from the exceptional work conducted by the Elgin Police Department on this case.”

Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley said Cagann apologized for the incident.

“While we are disappointed by the initial oversight, I am incredibly proud of the extraordinary collaborative efforts that have unfolded in recent days,” Lalley said. “The work of the Elgin Police Department, Chaos Divers and all involved parties demonstrates our unwavering commitment to finding answers for Karen Schepers and her family. We will continue to pursue this case with the same dedication and focus that has brought us this far.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250326/news/missing-womans-car-pulled-from-fox-river-tuesday-was-found-and-misidentified-three-years-ago/