For more than two decades, the disappearance of John Pisano Jr. lingered as an unanswered question. Now, Cook County officials say a car pulled from a Hodgkins retention pond last September has finally provided the missing piece.
Volunteer divers recovered a 1998 Lincoln Town Car from a pond near the Target at Joliet Road and East Avenue, and authorities have confirmed that the human remains inside are those of Pisano, who vanished in 2001. The identification, announced this week, gives his family long-sought clarity after 25 years. Investigators say the cause of death is still listed as undetermined while they continue to review the circumstances surrounding the vehicle.
Chaos Divers, the volunteer sonar and dive team that found the sedan while searching for a different missing person, said the car turned up during operations in September, according to CBS Chicago. Divers told the station the pond was so murky and shallow that the recovery became a painstaking feel-your-way-along effort, with one team member saying they worked almost entirely by touch.
On Wednesday, Cook County officials confirmed the remains are those of Pisano, Patch reported. Pisano was 39 when he disappeared in 2001. In an online memorial, his family describes him as an Army veteran and father and notes that he had struggled with mental illness.
How the Car Was Found
The Lincoln was pulled from a retention pond just north of the Target parking lot at 9250 W. Joliet Road after volunteers picked up a sonar hit and sent divers down to check it out. Local coverage described crowds gathering along the edge of the water as crews hauled the sediment-coated sedan from the pond, according to Des Plaines Valley News and ABC7 Chicago.
Family, Identification and Next Steps
Pisano’s relatives posted an obituary online and have asked for privacy as they absorb the confirmation of his death, Patch reported. The Cook County medical examiner’s office continues to list the cause of death as undetermined, and Hodgkins police say the case remains under investigation. No criminal charges have been announced.
The discovery is part of a growing wave of volunteer-led dive searches that are helping resolve long-cold missing person cases. CBS Chicago has documented several recoveries by dive teams this year, and investigators in Hodgkins say they plan to release more information if new leads emerge.
