The suburban Chicago community of Carpentersville has been struck by tragedy following the identification of a body pulled from a Vernon Hills pond as Brissa Romero, a local 17-year-old girl reported missing since December 4. According to CBS News, the Lake County Coroner's office announced on Wednesday that preliminary autopsy results showed the teen's death was consistent with drowning. There were no significant injuries reported on Romero's body.
Brissa was last seen heading to a holiday party at Bowlero, a bowling alley in Vernon Hills, but never arrived. Divers discovered her body in the pond near Lakeview and Executive Parkways around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, after an intensive search that followed the analysis of her cell phone data. Her vehicle, containing personal effects suggesting her presence at the time of the incident, was located in the same pond and had traveled roughly 60 feet into the water, sinking to a depth of about 20 feet.
Surveillance footage, obtained from a nearby eatery, showed Brissa last Monday entering and leaving a fast-food restaurant alone, then driving off shortly before her phone's final location ping near the pond. Authorities surmised that unfamiliar with the T-intersection of Lakeview Parkway and Executive Parkway, she may have driven straight into the retention pond instead of taking a turn.
Meanwhile, Brissa’s family and friends, grappling with the harrowing loss, had previously held out hope for her safe return. "I just really, really want her to come home. That's what we all hope for, just for her to simply show up, be fine; nothing happened to her. And just come home," Brissa's sister Jocelyn Rubi Romero said in a statement sourced by ABC7 Chicago. Before the grim discovery, the dedicated student was described as responsible and aspired to be an ultrasound technician, balancing her college coursework while holding two jobs.
Brissa's sister, Dulce Romero, thanked the police and volunteers for their efforts, stating, "We have been able to get so many people's eyes on this and get so much help from a lot of people from a lot of countries to help spread the word of Brissa," according to the CBS report. The investigation continues as the community mourns the loss of one of its young residents.
