A vehicle related to the cold case disappearance of 23-year-old Karen Schepers was discovered submerged in the Fox River on Monday, as per officials from the Elgin Police Department (EPD). The 1980 Toyota Celica linked to Schepers, who went missing in April of 1983, was found with the aid of sonar technology by Chaos Divers, a dive crew working in tandem with local authorities. The license plate confirmed the car's identity, as reported by NBC Chicago.

Following the discovery, the EPD, along with the Elgin Fire Department and the Kane County Coroner’s Office, made plans to carefully recover the car on Tuesday afternoon. This operation is a critical step in reinvigorating a case that has been cold for 42 years. The process and subsequent investigation into whether human remains are within the car is set to provide "answers and closure to Karen's family," as EPD Chief Ana Lalley underscored in a statement obtained by WGN News.

The renewed interest in the cold case was sparked by Elgin Police’s new cold case unit and their podcast, "Somebody Knows Something," which aims to generate leads and gather more information about Schepers' disappearance. The podcast, which began airing on January 20 of this year, has been following detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian as they delve into the depths of the unsolved case, providing weekly updates and recapping episodes for listeners and readers.

Chief Lalley stated Tuesday that the recovery of the vehicle indeed marks "the beginning of what is still considered an open and active investigation," with many layers yet to unequivocally unravel. As divers and officials worked to extract the car from the Fox River, expectations were tempered with the solemnity of a case involving a young woman whose life was cut short under mysterious circumstances.