Divers find car in Fox River in Elgin linked to 1983 cold case disappearance of Karen Schepers
Divers found a car in the Fox River in Elgin, Illinois, Monday, with a license plate that matched the car linked to the 1983 cold case disappearance of a suburban woman.
The Elgin Police Department worked with the nonprofit Chaos Divers to search the Fox River on Monday. At a site northwest of the Slade Avenue boat launch, a car was found, police said.
A diver then examined the car more closely, and discovered it had Illinois license plate XP8919 — the same one as Karen Schepers' 1980 Toyota Celica.
Because of current diving conditions, efforts to remove the car safely from the river will be conducted Tuesday by the Chaos Divers, the Elgin fire and police departments, and the Kane County Coroner's office. It was not known Monday night whether there were any human remains in the car.
According to Elgin police, Schepers lived in the area and was working for First Chicago Bankcard in Elgin after graduating from Sycamore High School in 1983.
She was last seen at about 1 a.m. on April 16, 1983, at a bar in Carpentersville, Illinois, for a party with co-workers. She was reportedly the last person from her group to leave the bar. Neither Schepers nor her bright yellow Toyota Celica were ever seen again.
Schepers' car also had red accent stripes. She was last seen wearing a tan, hooded corduroy jacket and a Wittenauer brand watch.
Her whereabouts remain unknown.
