Divers discovered a vehicle submerged in the Fox River in Elgin, Illinois, Monday, with a license plate matching the vehicle associated with the 1983 cold case disappearance of a woman from the suburbs.
The police department for Elgin collaborated with the nonprofit group Chaos Divers to search the Fox River on Monday. A vehicle was discovered at a location northwest of the Slade Avenue boat ramp, police said.
A diver later looked at the vehicle more closely and found it bore Illinois license number XP8919 — the identical one on Karen Schepers’ 1980 Toyota Celica.
Due to present diving conditions, attempts to safely remove the car from the river will be made Tuesday by the Chaos Divers, the Elgin police and fire departments, and the Kane County Coroner’s office. It was not clear Monday evening if there were any human remains in the vehicle.
Schepers, who was from the area, was employed by First Chicago Bankcard in Elgin following his graduation from Sycamore High School in 1983, according to the Elgin police.
She was seen for the last time around 1 a.m. April 16, 1983, at Carpentersville, Illinois, bar where she had attended a party with co-workers. She was the last one from her group to exit the bar. Schepers and her bright yellow Toyota Celica were never heard from again.
Schepers’ vehicle also featured red accent stripes. She was last observed wearing a tan, hooded corduroy coat and a Wittenauer brand wristwatch.
Her whereabouts are unknown.