A training exercise for the Naperville Fire Department divers took an unexpected turn when they uncovered a vehicle linked to a long-standing missing person's case from 2003; the 1992 Nissan Maxima was found submerged in Lake Osborne, containing what are believed to be human remains, according to NBC Chicago.
During the recovery operation that unfolded at 3:40 p.m., after the vehicle was hoisted from beneath the lake's surface, Naperville police ran the license plate revealing the car's grim connection to the Hiep Luu disappearance case that had baffled Berwyn Police for nearly two decades, as reported by CBS Chicago; the find now spurring a joint death investigation with both Naperville and Berwyn police taking part.
Luu, a Berwyn local, then age 21, vanished in December of 2003 after departing for his job and never completing the journey. His family maintained a vigil of hope for over 22 years, longing for an answer to his mysterious fate. "We waited for answers and prayed for him, praying that wherever he might be to return home to his family," his mother, Lieu Thi Huynh, told NBC Chicago in a saddened revelation brought forth through an interpreter.
The discovery of Luu's wallet and license inside the vehicle has given his family a somber confidence that their son's remains are those found, and while the DuPage County Coroner's Office works to officially identify the remains his parents set forth on another leg of their journey through grief, his mother expressing, "I'm sad now that we know that’s my son’s fate, we’re sad, but we continue to pray," in a heart-rending admittance to NBC Chicago.
Individuals who may have information related to this case are encouraged to contact the Naperville Police Investigations Division at 630-420-4138, as the community and Luu's family alike seek to close a chapter on an anguish that has lingered too long and unanswered.
