‘An incredible miracle’: Schepers family thanks police divers for finding Karen after 42 years

Calling it “an incredible miracle,” the family of Karen Schepers issued a statement Wednesday thanking all those involved in finding their loved one, who had been missing since 1983.

Schepers, who grew up in Sycamore, vanished without a trace 42 years ago after a night out with friends in Carpentersville. She was 23 at the time.

“She was a young, independent, accomplished trailblazer with a very bright future,” the family said in a news release. “She has been missed and will continue to be missed by those of us who loved her.”

In October last year, Elgin’s newly formed Cold Case Unit made finding Schepers their first active investigation. They created a podcast called “Somebody Knows Something” to solicit information and clues about what happened to her.

On Monday, March 24, they searched the Fox River with Chaos Divers, a dive team that travels the country using sonar to search bodies of water for missing people. Late that day, after searching five miles of the river in both directions, diver Mike McFerron found a license plate matching Schepers’ yellow 1980 Toyota Celica.

“As we each heard the news that her car was found, time stopped while we drew an audible gasp,” the family said. “When it started back up again, our lives took a new path that finally included the answer to ‘Where is Karen?‘”

The car was recovered from the river the next day. The day after that the Kane County Coroner verified that human remains found inside the vehicle belonged to Schepers.

The family thanked the Elgin Police Department, their Cold Case Unit and Chaos Divers for their efforts that “brought Karen back to us after so many years.”

“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,” they said. “An incredible miracle happened through the skills, intelligence, and compassion of all involved.”

Police Chief Ana Lalley said on her weekly radio show on AM1410 WRMN Friday that while police officers have the unique opportunity to make people’s lives better every day, it’s “never at this magnitude.”

“I will tell you that weeks like this don’t really happen in police work,” she said. “This is kind of like, probably once in a lifetime, once in a career, and it’s just been absolutely amazing.”

She praised the work of Cold Case Unit detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian, both of whom joined her on the show. They described what it was like when McFerron emerged from the water holding the license plate.

“We knew the plate, we had it memorized,” Vartanian said.

Houghton said McFerron pulled it up and read it to them.

“I can’t describe the amount of shock you’re kind of in,” he said of hearing the matching numbers and letters.

Recovery efforts the following day were meticulous to make sure they were able to keep the car intact. The car was upside down, with its highest point about four and a half feet underwater.

Visibility for divers was about six inches as they removed debris from on top of the car and secured cables to tow it across the width of the river from near the west bank to the east.

Houghton said the expertise of Chaos Divers was invaluable during the process.

“Obviously, finding Karen’s car was one step, but the goal was to find Karen’s remains,” he said. “If we did not have this company helping us, I don’t believe we would have had the knowledge to get the vehicle out in a way that allowed us to recover her remains as effectively as we did.”

Not only were they able to recover her remains, but they also found her Class of 1977 Sycamore High School tassel and a sapphire birthstone ring that she wore every day that they were able to give the family.

The family also expressed gratitude to listeners of the Somebody Knows Something podcast for the resulting support they received and the information they passed along to the Cold Case Unit detectives.

“Our family, especially our mother, Liz, is overwhelmed by the care and concern of so many thousands that have followed this case,” they said. “We very much appreciate the love of friends and family and the prayers for our beloved Karen.

“We hope for continued success on each and every cold case,” the family said. “Miracles do happen.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250402/news/an-incredible-miracle-schepers-family-thanks-police-divers-for-finding-karen-after-42-years/