Car Found in Illinois River Had Men’s Remains Missing Since 1976

It was early February in 1976 when two Illinois men left an auction and mysteriously vanished. Now, there remains have been found in a car submerged in the Pecatonica River in Illinois, but many questions remain unanswered.

I saw ABC News just share the sad news of a find in the Pecatonica River involving two Illinois men and a mystery that's had no closure for more than 48 years. They report the Illinois State Police Division of Forensic Services have confirmed the remains found in a car in the Illinois River are that of Clarence Owens of Freeport, Illinois and Everett Hawley of Stockton, Illinois.

They both worked together and had attended a farm auction in Illinois on February 19, 1976 when they both vanished. Their submerged vehicle was found in the Pecatonica River in Illinois by fishermen who were using a sonar finder and later extracted by authorities.

The report says that DNA testing did not find any trauma that would have caused the men's deaths and law enforcement does not suspect foul play. However, how and why they died remains unknown. How their car ended up in the Pecatonica River which extends from southern Wisconsin into northern Illinois is still to be learned.

As this is a developing story, it will be updated once new information is released by Illinois law enforcement authorities.