A tragic mystery that has lingered for over four decades seems to have come to an end of sorts.
Yesterday, the Kane County Coroner’s Office announced that the human remains discovered in a vehicle pulled from the Fox River on Tuesday were indeed those of Karen Schepers, a then-23-year-old young woman who, on an early Monday morning in April 1983, simply vanished after leaving a bar called P.M. Bentley’s in Carpentersville.
Questions remain, of course. How did Schepers’ 1983 Toyota Celica end up in the Fox River? Was it an accident or was foul play involved? Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit have interviewed members of Karen’s family, her close friends, and her co-workers to get a sense of who Karen was as a person; have tracked down an employee of P.M. Bentley’s who was never interviewed who reveals new information about a man who stalked Karen and her in the parking lot and followed her home in the months leading up to Karen’s disappearance; have had discussions with a witness who claimed he saw Karen with some bikers both inside and outside the bar and another witness who detailed her interaction with a man who allegedly claimed he was involved in her disappearance; and reviewed the cases of serial killers who were active in the Elgin area during the early 1980s.
So while the identification of Schepers’ remains certainly brings a measure of painful closure for her family, the case is not yet closed.
“I am deeply grateful to the Schepers family for trusting in Detective Matt Vartanian and in me to bring Karen home,” Detective Houghton said in an EPD press release. “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. 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.”
Detective Matt Vartanian added, “I am extremely thankful that we were able to bring Karen home to her family. I greatly appreciate them putting their trust in us to find Karen. This could not have been done without the assistance of Chaos Divers and the guidance they provided us in recovering her vehicle. I would like to thank everyone who provided us information and guidance in this case. Lastly, I would like to extend a thank you to those who listened to and participated in our podcast.”
EPD Chief Ana Lalley said, “On behalf of the Elgin Police Department, I wish to convey my heartfelt appreciation to the Schepers family for allowing us to re-open this investigation and their belief in us to bring Karen home. It has been a privilege and honor to be able to provide what I hope will be a sense of closure and as I have said many times, a sense of peace to the family. I know that there will be many questions over these next few weeks, which will be addressed in time. 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. I have been in contact with the Schepers family who will be releasing a statement in the near future and I ask that they be allowed the privacy and space to begin their healing process.”
