Kane Co. coroner confirms remains found in car are those of missing Elgin woman

The Kane County Coroner's Office confirmed Thursday that skeletal remains discovered inside a car recently retrieved from the Fox River belong to Karen Schepers, a 23-year-old woman who had been missing since April 1983. Coroner Monica Silva reported that dental records provided by Schepers' family led to this identification through a forensic odontologist's examination.

The Elgin police had suggested that Schepers' remains were likely inside the vehicle when it was found, but official confirmation required a review by the coroner's office, which could take weeks if DNA testing was necessary. The case had become one of the oldest unsolved investigations in Elgin, prompting two detectives to create a podcast called "Somebody Knows Something" and initiate a search of the river, which had not been conducted previously.

Significantly, an Elgin Fire Department diver misidentified the submerged vehicle as an ATV during a previous search three years ago. This mistake delayed the eventual discovery, as the car was in murky water and hidden by brush. Elgin Fire Chief Robb Cagann acknowledged that better inspection protocols for such searches have since been implemented.

Schepers disappeared on April 16, 1983, after leaving a Carpentersville bar around 1 a.m., reportedly heading to her home in Elgin. The podcast investigated various potential scenarios, including the possibility that she accidentally drove into the river on a slick, dark road near her home.

Her family was informed of the car and remains recovery earlier this week, providing a sense of relief after decades of uncertainty. Her brother, Gary, expressed hope for closure, while their father, who had even searched by chartered plane for his daughter, passed away without knowing what happened to her. The police have not yet disclosed any theories regarding the circumstances of the car's location in the river.