Latest news with #ChaosDivers
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Divers search Stilwell City Lake looking for evidence in cold cases
STILWELL, Okla. (KNWA/KFTA) — Two independent investigation organizations, Chaos Divers and Depths of History, spent Monday searching for evidence at Stilwell City Lake tied to any unsolved cases. During each search, the two groups take Chaos Divers' boat out onto the lake, drifting along every inch while running sonar in attempts to detect abnormalities under the surface. They are searching for cars that were dumped, weapons that were discarded and, in some instances, remains. 'We are hoping that during our process of searching with the sonar and the diving capabilities that we will be able to provide answers,' Lindsay Bussick with Chaos Divers said. 'Maybe not necessarily to a family of a missing person but maybe bring some closure to a case they have here.' Stacy Lee Drake will stand trial for murders in Oklahoma During their search, once sonar detects something out of the ordinary under the water, Britain Lockhart of Depths of History said they use a device to give them real-time imaging of what is below the surface. Then, if it's a submerged vehicle they detected, they can dive underwater and take down information, such as its year, make, model and license plate number before using a magnet that attach to the car. There were reports of criminal activity in Adair County, the groups said, marking their fourth stop in their region-wide series of searches. They searched bodies of water in Little Rock, Kaw City, Oklahoma, and Muskogee, Oklahoma, before going to Stilwell. The groups said they weren't attempting to solve any specific cold case, rather looking for anything in Stilwell City Lake that could help the Adair County Sheriff's Office in any unresolved cases. The groups were unable to find any suspicious material at the bottom of the lake as a result of their search. Bussick said some departments don't have the technology or time to focus on cold cases, adding that their organizations hope to be an outlet they can turn to for help. 'We want them to know that we're here for them,' Bussick said. 'That goes for any law enforcement agency across the country. If we can help in any way, we want to be able to do that.' Depths of History has been posting videos on YouTube for 11 years. Now, with more than 762,000 subscribers, Lockhart and Colston Gertz have since helped recover more than 300 guns in the Atlanta metro, a World War II-era mortar and the car and remains of Karen Moore, a Florida woman who had been missing for 22 years. 'I try to feel what the family's feeling,' Lockhart said. 'It is a positive that we're giving the family answers, but at the same time, you're giving them the worst news of their life. It's really hard.' Chaos Divers is made up of Bussick, Jacob Grubbs and their dog, Maverick. They've worked more than 110 missing persons cold cases, recovering 20 out of those, Bussick said. The two groups are now turning their attention to New Madrid, Missouri, which is along the Mississippi River. There, they'll be hoping to find evidence that can lead to the findings of two missing persons: Barbara Stoffer and Richard Caleb Powell. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Remains of Illinois woman who disappeared in 1983 found after cold case investigators start podcast
ELGIN, Ill. (WGN) — Police in Elgin, Illinois, have confirmed that remains found within a car submerged in the Fox River have been positively identified as Karen Schepers, a 23-year-old who went missing nearly 42 years ago. Schepers and her Toyota Celica went missing around 1 a.m. on April 16, 1983, after leaving a Carpentersville bar following a night out with co-workers in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. After initial leads dried up and no new information came in during the original investigation into Schepers' disappearance, her case was moved to inactive. Over the decades, new looks were taken by other law enforcement agencies as time went by. The Illinois State Police revisited Schepers' case in the late 1980s. Years later, the Elgin Police Department (EPD) said advancements in forensic science led to another review of her case in 2010 — but again — the investigation dried up. Schepers' case wasn't revisited for another 14 years. In May 2024, EPD created their Cold Case Unit and five months later, they reopened Schepers' missing person's case. Remains found in California decades ago ID'd as missing New York 13-year-old It was shortly after this point EPD Chief Ana Lalley empowered detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian to launch 'Somebody Knows Something: The Elgin Police Cold Case Podcast.' Their first episode debuted on Jan. 20 of this year, hoping to renew interest and spark new leads as they documented their investigation into Schepers' decades-old disappearance case. In the podcast's introductory episode, Houghton and Vartanian laid out six theories they planned to investigate, with a search of local bodies of water being the final theory they planned to dive into as they revisited Schepers' disappearance. As their investigation progressed and podcast episodes dropped, searching local waterways became an increasingly pivotal part of their look into Schepers' case. They also considered evidence that the Fox River flooded and water levels in the Elgin area were unusually high around the time that Schepers went missing. This gave credence to the idea Schepers' 1980 Toyota Celica may be submerged somewhere along the Fox River, leading EPD to bump up a water search strategy ahead of other theories they previously planned to explore. Enter a nonprofit organization known as Chaos Divers. EPD partnered with Chaos Divers to search an extensive swath of the Fox River. On March 24 near a boat launch, divers were able to locate a vehicle submerged in the river with a license plate that read, 'XP8919,' which matched the license plate of Schepers' Celica. A day later, emergency crews removed the vehicle from the Fox River and transported it to the Kane County Coroner's Office for further examination. On Wednesday, March 26, the office confirmed there were human remains inside the car pulled from the Fox River. The following day, they identified the remains as Schepers. After this breakthrough, Schepers' family released a statement thanking the Elgin Police, the divers, and the investigators and listeners of the 'Somebody Knows Something' podcast. Their full statement can be found below: 'We would like to thank the Elgin Police Department – especially Chief Lalley, Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian and retired Officer Mike Gough for their dedication to the Cold Case program that brought Karen back to us after so many years. 'As we each heard the news that her car was found, time stopped while we drew an audible gasp. When it started back up again, our lives took a new path that finally included the answer to 'Where is Karen?' This question has been haunting all who knew Karen for many years. She was a young, independent, accomplished trailblazer with a very bright future. She has been missed and will continue to be missed by those of us who loved her. We believe she has been watching as God's hand guided all of the events of her coming home. An incredible miracle happened through the skills, intelligence, and compassion of all involved. 'We also want to extend a special 'thank you' to the team of Chaos Divers: Jacob, Lindsay, and Mike. Their expertise enabled such a complete recovery of Karen and her personal effects that very likely could have been lost to the river if the recovery had been completed any other way. 'Thank you to the listeners of the Somebody Knows Something podcast, those who've connected with Karen's story, and everyone behind the scenes of both the investigation and recovery. Words cannot begin to convey how grateful we are to everyone involved. 'We hope for continued success on each and every cold case. Miracles do happen. 'Our family, especially our mother, Liz, is overwhelmed by the care and concern of so many thousands that have followed this case. We very much appreciate the love of friends and family and the prayers for our beloved Karen.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Illinois police who started cold case podcast find submerged remains of woman last seen nearly 42 years ago
Skeletal remains found in an Illinois river have been identified as those of a young woman who went missing more than four decades ago, in a case that prompted detectives to launch their own podcast looking for answers, officials said Thursday. Dental records confirm that remains inside a 1980 Toyota Celica, fished out of the Fox River about 40 miles northwest of Chicago, are 23-year-old Karen Schepers, Elgin police said. 'I am extremely thankful that we were able to bring Karen home to her family," Detective Matt Vartanian said. "I greatly appreciate them putting their trust in us to find Karen." Schepers was last seen at about 1 a.m. on April 16, 1983, when she left a party with co-workers at P.M. Bentley's bar in Carpentersville. The missing case had vexed detectives for decades and the department's cold case unit took a fresh look at it last year. That renewed effort included production of a podcast, "Somebody Knows Something," posing various theories about her disappearance. New research found that the nearby Fox River "had flooded and was unusually high" at that time, according to a police statement. Police and volunteers with Chaos Divers went in on March 24 and found a Celica with license plates matching Schepers' car, officials said. Those submerged wheels were fished out on March 25 and "a forensic pathologist confirmed the presence of skeletal human remains inside the vehicle," police said. Dental records proved that skeleton was Schepers, police said, though it's still unclear how or why her car ended up in the water. "I know that there will be many questions over these next few weeks, which will be addressed in time," police chief Ana Lalley said. "Right now, my hope is that the focus remains on the Schepers family and the support that we all can give to them during an unimaginable time as they process the events of this week, which have been no less than extraordinary." Detective Andrew Houghton and Vartanian both thanked Schepers' family and friends and volunteers for their help and belief that the missing woman would be found. "I know that by us reopening this case, the family was taking a chance that they could be let down, and we were very sensitive to that," Houghton said. "I also want to thank them for being open enough to allow us to do a podcast which allowed us to bring attention to Karen and her case.' This article was originally published on
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Karen Schepers' family releases statement after Elgin PD, Chaos Divers find her remains
ELGIN, Ill. (WGN) — The family of Karen Schepers released a statement Wednesday in the aftermath of a major breakthrough that brought her remains home after going missing nearly 43 years ago. While the Elgin Police Department continues to work towards closure of Schepers' cold case, police said her family expressed they wanted to release a statement to the surrounding community about this case. 'We would like to thank the Elgin Police Department – especially Chief Lalley, Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian and retired Officer Mike Gough for their dedication to the Cold Case program that brought Karen back to us after so many years. 'As we each heard the news that her car was found, time stopped while we drew an audible gasp. When it started back up again, our lives took a new path that finally included the answer to 'Where is Karen?' This question has been haunting all who knew Karen for many years. She was a young, independent, accomplished trailblazer with a very bright future. She has been missed and will continue to be missed by those of us who loved her. We believe she has been watching as God's hand guided all of the events of her coming home. An incredible miracle happened through the skills, intelligence, and compassion of all involved. 'We also want to extend a special 'thank you' to the team of Chaos Divers: Jacob, Lindsay, and Mike. Their expertise enabled such a complete recovery of Karen and her personal effects that very likely could have been lost to the river if the recovery had been completed any other way. 'Thank you to the listeners of the Somebody Knows Something podcast, those who've connected with Karen's story, and everyone behind the scenes of both the investigation and recovery. Words cannot begin to convey how grateful we are to everyone involved. 'We hope for continued success on each and every cold case. Miracles do happen. 'Our family, especially our mother, Liz, is overwhelmed by the care and concern of so many thousands that have followed this case. We very much appreciate the love of friends and family and the prayers for our beloved Karen.' – The Schepers Family *The section below is excerpted from a previous story on The full length of that story can be read by clicking . Schepers and her Toyota Celica went missing around 1 a.m. on April 16, 1983, after leaving a Carpentersville bar named P.M. Bentley's in the Meadowdale Shopping Center following a night out with co-workers in the northwest suburbs. After initial leads dried up and no new information came in during the original investigation into Schepers' disappearance, her case was moved to inactive. Over the decades, new looks were taken by other law enforcement agencies as time went by. The Illinois State Police revisited Schepers' case in the late 1980s. Years later, EPD said advancements in forensic science led to another review of her case in 2010—but again—the investigation dried up. Schepers' case wasn't revisited for another 14 years. In May 2024, EPD created their Cold Case Unit and five months later, they reopened Schepers' missing person's case. It was shortly after this point EPD Chief Ana Lalley empowered detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian to launch 'Somebody Knows Something:' The Elgin Police Cold Case Podcast. Their first episode debuted on Jan. 20 of this year, hoping to renew interest and spark new leads as they documented their investigation into Schepers' decades-old disappearance case. In the podcast's introductory episode, Houghton and Vartanian laid out six theories they planned to investigate, with a search of local bodies of water being the final theory they planned to dive into as they revisited Schepers' disappearance. As their investigation progressed and podcast episodes dropped, searching local waterways became an increasingly pivotal part of their look into Schepers' case. This included research evidence the Fox River flooded and water levels in the Elgin area were unusually high around the time Schepers went missing. This gave credence to the idea Schepers' 1980 Toyota Celica may be submerged somewhere along the Fox River and led EPD to bump up a water search strategy ahead of other theories they previously planned to explore. Enter Chaos Divers. EPD partnered with the non-profit organization to search an extensive swath of the Fox River—an area from the Kimball Street Dam in Elgin, north to Williams Place in East Dundee. On March 24 near the Slade Avenue boat launch, divers were able to locate a vehicle submerged in the river with a license plate that read, 'XP8919,' which matched the license plate of Schepers' Celica. A day later, emergency crews removed the vehicle from the Fox River and transported it to the Kane County Coroner's Office for further examination. On Wednesday, March 26, KCCO confirmed there were human remains inside the car pulled from the Fox River in connection to Schepers' case. On Thursday, March 27, they confirmed the human remains inside the vehicle were identified as Schepers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
28-03-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Elgin detectives recount the week they knew they'd solved the Karen Schepers missing person case
A sapphire ring she wore every day and a 1977 graduation tassel from Sycamore High School were among the items recovered from Karen Schepers' car this week and returned to her family, more proof that the Elgin woman missing nearly 42 years had finally been found. Elgin police Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian said they wanted to make sure the personal belongings found in the car were returned to Schepers' mother, now 90. 'It's a privilege and an honor for the Elgin Police Department to be able to do this for a family,' Elgin police Chief Ana Lalley said. 'It was very important to give the family a sense of peace.' Speaking Friday on Lalley's radio show, 'Fridays with the Finest,' on WRMN-AM 1410, the three discussed the stunning week of revelations that began with the discovery of Schepers' missing car in the Fox River and ended with identification of Schepers' remains. The detectives described the rapid series of events as astonishing despite knowing there was a strong possibility Schepers could have accidentally gone into the river given the weather conditions and other factors at play in the early morning hours of April 16, 1983. 'I think this week is still a bit of a shock (in) how everything went down how it did,' Vartanian said. Schepers' case was the first one Houghton and Vartanian decided to pursue after being assigned to the department's newly created cold case unit in May 2024. They decided to do a podcast, ' Somebody Knows Something, ' in hopes it could bring forth new witnesses and details and would be intriguing to listen to as they did their work in real time. The first step was to recount and review what they knew about the case. Schepers, a 23-year-old computer programmer, and a group of co-workers from First Chicago Bank Card in Elgin decided to meet April 15, 1983, a Friday night, for drinks at a bar in Carpentersville to celebrate the completion of a work project. Schepers had called her boyfriend, described as her former fiance, to see if he wanted to join her, and they quarreled when he turned her down. Despite that, she was seen participating in a hula hoop contest and reported to be the last in the group to leave about 1 a.m. After that, the trail went cold. She was never seen again. Her car never found. Her bank accounts, credit cards and possessions left untouched. Had she followed the common route home, she would have driven in close proximity to the Fox River's edge. The crescent moon offering limited light, below-freezing temperatures causing slick roadways and the possibility that Schepers' response time was hindered by alcohol consumption were all factors to be considered. Had a river search ever been conducted? The detectives weren't sure. That's how they came to contact Chaos Divers, a nonprofit that specializes in locating people in bodies of water. Early Monday,the pair joined Chaos Divers owner Jacob Grubbs, manager Lindsay Bussick and diver Mike McFerron on their boat for a search. Armed with specialized sonar equipment, they started at the Kimball Street dam and combed 5 miles of the river heading north toward the Interstate 90 bridge, Vartanian said. Several cars were found at the bottom of the river in the area northwest of the Slade Avenue boat launch but they were ruled out as being Schepers' 1980 Toyota Celica, the detectives said. After eight hours of unsuccessful searching, they decided to circle back to the Slade Avenue area. When McFerron went into the water there a second time, he came upon a vehicle on its roof covered in debris, Houghton said. When he resurfaced, he had a license plate number: XP8919. 'We knew the plate. We had it memorized,' Vartanian said. 'I can't describe the amount of shock you are in (when you realize you have a match),' Houghton said. The two immediately started making a plan for what to do next. The Celica was pulled out of the water Tuesday afternoon. Inside, human remains were recovered and given to the Kane County coroner's office for identification. Thanks to dental records, a positive ID for Schepers was made Thursday. 'When we started the podcast, we never wanted it to take away from what the goal was,' Vartanian said. 'The goal was to find answers and get information about where Karen is and what happened to her.' 'We wanted to be very factual,' he said, 'but still wanted to be engaging for people to listen to without being exploitative of the family or Karen.' Through the podcast, they learned details that weren't in the original police reports. Such as, there was a carnival in Carpentersville that night. And there had been an incident at the Carpentersville bar in which an employee reported that a co-worker was stalking her. Had they not gotten the break they needed by finding the car, the investigation would have continued, authorities said. The detectives will appear again next week on 'Fridays with the Finest' to answer questions about the case, Lalley said. While the cold case unit has other cases to work on, she's giving Houghton and Vartanian some time to decompress after an intense week, she said. 'The priority here is the Schepers family,' she said. 'We need to give them an opportunity to process this privately. This is an extraordinary thing that happened over this past week that they probably never thought would happen.'
