IL IL - Karen Schepers, 23, Carpentersville, 16 April 1983

[spartanx]

Something no one apparently focused on was the nature of Karen's work. 25 years ago programmers were not a dime a dozen: it was a prestigious high-income occupation and worth every penny considering they were working with awkward second-generation programming languages that made the design and coding of even the simplest applications an incredibly arduous task (it took me two weeks to program a tic-tac-toe game using Assembler in college, I almost went nuts).

If she really was a programmer (in those days the media often confused programmer with computer operator) and working for a bank she may have been involved in a large-scale fraud scheme, or been forced to take part in one by another party and then murdered. Either possibility would explain why she never resurfaced nor used her credit cards or bank account. Typically banks in those days and whenever they could avoid it did not report internal computer fraud for fear of losing the public's trust that they could control computers and those that worked with them. They figured it was cheaper to quietly swallow the loss and discreetly fire the offending employee(s).

It's just another theory but what the heck nothing else seems to have panned out.

what you say makes sense I hope that one day it is found and it is known what really happened

 

[ChatteringBirds]

A very sad case. Bumping up for Karen and her family.

I think speculation about her car accidentally ending up in water sounds possible.

Page 1 of this thread mentions a suspect of crimes against women previously living in her apartment. That is no small fact.
What if he was back there for some reason and abducted her when she tried to enter or exit her vehicle and maybe later hid or destroyed the vehicle?
All speculation on my part.

 

[Xoetix]

I know it's been a while, but I might have information regarding this case. I tried reaching out to the tipline and never heard back from them.

Can anyone confirm if she had a dog? It might have been named Jenny?

 

[Richard]

40 Years Missing...​

Karen L. Schepers, age 23, Missing since 16 April 1983​

Schepers, circa 1983; Car similar to Schepers's 1980 1980 Toyota Celica

• Missing Since 04/16/1983
• Missing From Carpentersville, Illinois
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Date of Birth 09/20/1959 (63)
• Age 23 years old
• Height and Weight 5'7, 125 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A hooded tan corduroy coat and a Wittenauer watch.
• Associated Vehicle(s) Bright yellow 1980 Toyota Celica hatchback with red accent stripes with the Illinois license plate number XP8919 and has the vehicle identification number RA42326350
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes.

Details of Disappearance​

Schepers was last seen at approximately 1:00 a.m. on April 16, 1983, in Carpentersville, Illinois. She had gone to a bar with about twenty coworkers to celebrate her recent promotion at work.

She had a good time that evening and was the last person in her group to leave the establishment. It's unclear whether she made it home or not; nothing appeared to be disturbed in her apartment after her disappearance. She has never been heard from again.

Her bright yellow 1980 Toyota Celica hatchback with red accent stripes disappeared with her and has never been found. The vehicle has the vehicle identification number (VIN) RA42326350 and the Illinois license plate number XP8919. A photo of a similar vehicle is posted with this case summary.

Schepers had been "unofficially engaged" about a year prior to her disappearance, but two weeks before her disappearance she and her fiance decided neither of them were ready for marriage.

They maintained a good relationship, however, and she had invited him to join her at the bar that evening. He declined, as he had to get up early the next day. Her boyfriend passed a lie detector test and is not considered a suspect in her case. He later married someone else.

Since her disappearance, there has been no activity on Schepers's bank accounts, credit cards and Social Security number. She left behind $7,000 in savings, including a $1,200 tax return, and all her clothes.

She is a graduate of Sycamore High School and was employed as a computer programmer at First Chicago Bankcard in Elgin, Illinois at the time of her disappearance. She enjoyed her work, had numerous hobbies, and did not have any debts; she had recently paid off her car. Schepers's hobbies include sewing, knitting and playing the piano. Her case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency​

• Elgin Police Department 847-289-2700

Source Information​

• The Doe Network
• The Beacon News
• The Chicago Tribune
• The Daily Herald
• The Cardunal Free Press
• Illinois LostNMissing
• Jenn Baxter
• Karen L. Schepers – The Charley Project

 

[Richard]

I know it's been a while, but I might have information regarding this case. I tried reaching out to the tipline and never heard back from them.

Can anyone confirm if she had a dog? It might have been named Jenny?

I would suggest that you follow up on your tip by calling them again.

 

[SpanishMossAntiques]

Does anyone remember the lake that used to be up where she lived? It was huge, and a lot of people would swim in it (including myself). They filled it in at some point though... I often wonder if her car was in that lake, and then got buried over.

 

[Xoetix]

I would suggest that you follow up on your tip by calling them again.

I've tried calling a few times, as well as texted the tip line text option - no one ever seems to answer anything

 

[Richard]

I've tried calling a few times, as well as texted the tip line text option - no one ever seems to answer anything

Get the name and office address of the Chief of Police and write him/her a letter with your information, and ask that it be passed on to the cold case officer. Don't complain about any previous lack of response. Be sure to explain who you are and how you can be contacted if there are any questions.

 

[Richard]

Karen L. Schepers, age 23, Missing since 16 April 1983​

 

[renaebri]

Already he's made one loosely connected discovery. Thomas Urlacher, suspected in the 1976 disappearance of 14-year-old Barbara Glueckert from Huntley, was a previous tenant of Schepers' Elgin apartment at 311 Lovell St. Urlacher was shot to death in April 2004 in Colorado, and Glueckert never has been found.

Do we know where Ulracher was in 1983? From what I can find he moved to Oregon. I just found it interesting he's connected to two cases that have associated vehicles, but the one in Barbara Glueckert's case seems to be his, maybe no connection..