Authorities Discovered Car of Woman Missing Since 1983, but Here's Why They Left It in a River for 3 Years

Illinois police say a car belonging to a missing woman that was found in a river earlier this week was actually located nearly three years prior by another agency.

Karen Schepers was 23 years old when she disappeared in April 1983 after a night out with co-workers, according to the Elgin Police Department.

Her yellow 1980 Toyota Celica with license plate XP8919 was found on Monday, March 24, in the Fox River, police said.

The car was recovered a day later, and skeletal human remains were found inside.

During the recovery, police said “a person approached an Elgin police officer” and said that in 2022, he had “detected an unusual object in the Fox River” with sonar equipment while fishing in the area, according to a news release shared by police on Wednesday, March 26.

The man called the Elgin Fire Department to report the discovery back in 2022 and they deployed a dive team, which “identified what appeared to be a small vehicle submerged in the water.”

A diver found a tire in the water but “prematurely” determined it likely belonged to either an all-terrain vehicle or utility-task vehicle (UTV), police said. "No further investigation was conducted."

Elgin police said they "had no knowledge of the dive team’s activities before" Tuesday, March 25.

Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley said she had since met with Elgin Fire Chief Robb Cagann “to address the matter.”

That’s when Cagann “offered a sincere apology” on their department's behalf, she added.

Cagann said in a statement that “more should have been done in 2022, including a comprehensive underwater examination of the vehicle.”

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Since then, the agency’s dive team leadership “has changed” and Cagann said the fire department "has updated its operational protocols and technological capabilities to ensure the most efficient and effective dive operations.”

Moving forward, Cagann said his department will “ensure that the circumstances surrounding this incident never happen during any dives.”

“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,” the fire chief concluded.

Lalley said she does “appreciate the manner in which Chief Cagann has handled this incident.”

"While we are disappointed by the initial oversight, I am incredibly proud of the extraordinary collaborative efforts that have unfolded in recent days,” the police chief said. 

Police “will continue to pursue this case,” according to Lally.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct details about the initial investigation into Karen Schepers' vehicle. The Elgin Fire Department was involved in 2022, not Elgin police.