When fishermen on the Pecatonica River in northern Illinois may not know that their sonar found a car underwater could lead to a breakthrough in a nearly 50-year-old missing persons case. Authorities pulled a 1966 metallic brown Chevrolet Impala from the river and found the remains of two men last seen in 1976.
Clarence Owens, 65, and Everett Hawley, 75, were last seen leaving a farm auction, according to Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office. Somehow, the Impala they were driving ended up in a muddy river bed about eight feet deep, 100 miles west of Chicago. Rescue teams recovered more than 100 bones from the car, which were identified as those of Owen and Hawley this week through DNA testing. Sheriff Gary Caruana told CBS News:
“This brings us one step closer to bringing relief to the families of Clarence Owens and Everett Hawley, who have waited years for answers to what happened in this tragic case.”
Solving missing persons cases by searching for sunken cars has become its own genre of YouTube videos. Channels focused on search and rescue diving have solved many cold cases, including One channel has solved 18 cases.. Amateurs can help families get closure after months or years of police trying unsuccessfully to find answers.
