Human bones found in submerged car linked to 1976 cold case, Illinois officials say

Skeletal remains have been found inside a car that was occupied by two men missing for nearly 50 years, Illinois officials said.

The car, a 1966 Chevy Impala, was pulled out of the Pecatonica River on Monday, March 11, after it was discovered by fishermen using sonar technology, according to Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana.

The Impala is linked to Clarence Owens and Everett Hawley, who went missing Feb. 19, 1976. The two men were business partners and were last seen traveling to a farm auction near the Winnebago-Ogle County line, the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office said in a cold case report.

Winnebago County Coroner Jennifer Muraski said in a Wednesday, March 13, news conference that skeletal remains were recovered from the vehicle.

As of Wednesday, it is too early to know if the remains belong to Owens and Hawley. Muraski said it’s unclear if the bones are male or female.

“We probably know who they are, but probably is not good enough,” the coroner said, adding that the department will conduct an investigation to determine the identification.

Before its discovery, the Impala was in mud submerged in water 8 to 10 feet deep, McClatchy News reported.

After the car was brought to the shore Monday, officials recovered more than 100 human bones, mainly along the river bank, according to Muraski.

Hawley was a real estate broker in Freeport and Owens was a salesperson in his firm, the Rockford Register Star reported. They were 74 and 65, respectively, when they went missing, according to The Doe Network.

Winnebago County is in northern Illinois, about a 95-mile drive northwest from Chicago.