DNA analysis on skeletal remains found in a car recovered from an Illinois river has confirmed that they belong to two men who went missing in 1976 after attending a farm auction, authorities revealed. The Winnebago County Coroner’s Office announced that the remains were identified as Clarence Owens and Everett Hawley following testing conducted by the Illinois State Police Division of Forensic Services. Hawley, aged 72, from Stockton, Illinois, and Owens, aged 65, from Freeport, Illinois, disappeared after leaving a farm auction near the Winnebago-Ogle county line on February 19, 1976, as per the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office.
Hawley worked as a real estate broker in Freeport, while Owens was a salesperson in Hawley’s company. The Winnebago County Sheriff, Gary Caruana, expressed the hope that this discovery would bring closure to the families of Owens and Hawley after decades of uncertainty.
In March, individuals fishing along the Pecatonica River located a submerged vehicle using a sonar fish finder. A recovery team utilized a crane to retrieve the 1966 Chevrolet Impala sedan from the river in the village of Pecatonica, stated the Rockford Register Star. The missing men were known to have left the farm auction in this particular vehicle.
Over 100 bones were recovered from the car and the river in the area around 100 miles west of Chicago. DNA samples obtained from the bones were matched with DNA profiles from the men’s relatives in order to establish their identities. A forensic anthropologist in St. Louis, Missouri, had examined the remains prior to DNA testing and found no signs of foul play.
Although the cause of death remains unknown at this point, Winnebago County Coroner Jennifer Muraski informed WIFR-TV that no evidence of any criminal activity has been detected in relation to the case.