A cold case that haunted an Illinois community for over 40 years was finally solved thanks to two detectives and their true crime podcast, “Somebody Knows Something.” Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian launched the podcast in October 2024 to crowdsource tips and revive attention on long-forgotten investigations—their first case: the 1983 disappearance of 23-year-old Karen Schepers.
Schepers vanished after leaving P.M. Bentley’s bar in Carpentersville around 1 a.m. on April 16, 1983. Her 1980 Toyota Celica and body were never found—until now. “When we started to look at the Karen Schepers case, we realized that we could put everything out there because we had no idea what happened to her,” Vartanian said.
The detectives combined old-school investigation with modern technology. They re-interviewed locals, studied road maps from 1983, and examined weather conditions. Their breakthrough came when they realized the nearby Fox River was flooded at the time of Schepers’ disappearance. “Interestingly enough, we would get a lot of tips from people that were saying, ‘There’s no way she’s in the river,’” Houghton said. But the river’s depth varied greatly depending on location.
On March 24, 2025, the Elgin Police Department brought in Chaos Divers, a nonprofit recovery team. In a pivotal moment, divers found Schepers’ vehicle in the Fox River with her remains inside. Her identity was confirmed through dental records.
“As we each heard the news that her car was found, time stopped while we drew an audible gasp,” her family said. “When it started back up again, our lives took a new path that finally included the answer to ‘Where is Karen?’”
The discovery brought long-awaited closure. Houghton and Vartanian returned two personal items recovered from the vehicle—a sapphire birthstone ring and a high school graduation tassel—to Schepers’ 90-year-old mother.
“Don’t be afraid to fail, don’t be afraid of looking foolish,” Houghton said. “If you do this five or 10 times, and you find one case or solve one case, it’s totally worth doing that for that family.”
