In this final episode of the season, Detectives Andrew Houghton and Chris Hall from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit lay out the investigation into Renee’s murder in 1979, release new information about the case, and discuss potential links between Renee’s murder and the serial killer group known as the Ripper Crew. They also close out the season and remember all 27 homicide victims from 1970’s Elgin.
On November 23, 1979, the day after Thanksgiving, Renee Cruz Tovar decided to stay home while her roommate went out on a date. The following morning, November 24, 1979, her roommate returned home and found Renee murdered in their apartment. In Part 1 of this two-part episode, Detectives Andrew Houghton and Chris Hall from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit meet with family members and friends of Renee to learn more about her brief life and the impact her tragic death had on the Elgin community.
It was a warm, summer evening when 68-year-old Cayce D. Kyles strolled down an alley behind the Douglas Hotel in downtown Elgin on July 21, 1977. Moments later, he was attacked and stabbed to death less than a block from the Elgin Police Department. Detectives Andrew Houghton and Chris Hall from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit revisit the Cayce’s case and seek information from the public in his cold case murder.
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Chris Hall from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit continue their investigation into the disappearance of Barbara Glueckert as they meet with retired Mount Prospect Detective Mike Nelson who worked on Barbara Glueckert’s case for over two decades. They also speak with a listener who contacted the cold case tip line to report an experience she had with Thomas Urlacher when she was just 16-years-old in the early 1970’s for the first time in over 50 years.
During “Season One: Where Is Karen?” Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian researched the previous tenant of Karen Schepers’ apartment, Thomas Urlacher. They found that while he was not involved in Karen’s disappearance, he was the prime suspect in the disappearance of 14-year-old Barbara Glueckert from nearby Huntley, Illinois on August 21, 1976. In Part 1 of this two-part investigation, Detectives Andrew Houghton and Chris Hall from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit discuss Urlacher’s links to Karens’ case and meet with Barbara Glueckert’s family to learn about her and the impact that her disappearance has had on her family and on her community.
On the morning of June 22, 1976, 16-year-old Lori Jean Bolger left a summer driver’s ed class at Larkin High School to walk home to South Elgin, Illinois. She planned to meet friends to swim, but she never made it. Less than two hours after she left the school, two workers found her body lying in a grassy field near Randall Road in Elgin. Detectives Andrew Houghton and Chris Hall from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit reopen Lori’s case file to discuss her life, her murder, and to seek answers in her case.
It was a cold, winter night when 47-year-old Maynard Chester Holley left his wife and children to head to work at the Yellow Cab Company in downtown Elgin on February 18, 1975. Hours later, he was murdered in the office as he sat dispatching taxis. Detectives Andrew Houghton and Chris Hall from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit remember Maynard and review his case to seek new information.
On June 30, 1971, a 35-year-old foreman at the Woodruff and Edwards Foundry, Guadalupe Alanis, was murdered while working in downtown Elgin. Detectives Andrew Houghton and Chris Hall of the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit review Guadalupe’s case and discover that it has links to two other Elgin murders.
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit make an announcement for Season Two and introduce a new detective, Chris Hall, as Matt is promoted and leaves the unit. Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley also joins the episode to reflect on Season One and to discuss the future plans for the Cold Case Unit.
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit reflect on the past 6 months of this investigation with Karen’s family, friends, and coworkers as Karen finally comes home and is laid to rest.
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit wrap up Karen’s cold case investigation by detailing the final steps in Karen’s case and they discuss what they believed most likely happened to Karen on that fateful night in April of 1983.
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit speak with Jacob Grubbs and Lindsay Bussick from Chaos Divers, the group which was instrumental in bringing Karen Schepers home, to talk about their organization, their experience in search and recovery, and their amazing work on Karen’s case.
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit search the Fox River with the Illinois-based search and recovery team Chaos Divers and make a discovery almost 42 years in the making.
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit move up their original Theory #6, that Karen and her car are submerged in a body of water, as new tips come in and new technology becomes available. They identify the routes that Karen would have likely taken, travel those routes, and follow-up on new tips about a car recently discovered in the Fox River.
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit review multiple serial killers who were active in the Elgin area in the early 1980’s and travel to the Pontiac Correctional Facility to interview Brian Dugan, an Illinois serial killer who is serving a life sentence for three murders in the area, one of which has similarities to Karen’s disappearance.
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit continue their investigation into Theory #2, that something happened at PM Bentley’s. As they review the case file, they discover that a former employee of PM Bentley’s was never interviewed, so they track her down and she reveals new information about a man who stalked her and her and her car in the parking lot and followed her home in the months leading up to Karen’s disappearance.
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit travel to the site where PM Bentley’s was in 1983 with the owner as they investigate Theory #2, that something happened at PM Bentley’s. They discuss a witness who claimed he saw Karen with some bikers both inside and outside the bar and another witness who detailed her interaction with a man who allegedly claimed he was involved in her disappearance.
Detectives Andrew Houghton & Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit interview members of Karen's family, her close friends, & her co-workers to get a sense of who Karen was as a person and to evaluate Theory #1, that Karen made a desperate choice to either run away or harm herself.
Detectives Andrew Houghton & Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit begin their investigation into the 1983 disappearance of Karen Schepers by interviewing the people who knew her best, members of her family.
On Friday, April 15th, 1983, Karen Schepers, a vibrant 23-year-old woman from Elgin, Illinois, went to see a live band and socialize with a group of co-workers at a bar called P.M. Bentley's in Carpentersville, Illinois. Karen danced, drank, and enjoyed what she believed would be just another Friday night out with friends. Then, in the early morning hours of April 16th, 1983, Karen and her car vanished without a trace. Her case remains unsolved over 40 years later. Detectives Andrew Houghton & Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit introduce Karen's case, interview several co-workers who were among the last people to see her, & discuss the 6 theories of what could have happened to Karen that they will investigate throughout Season 1 to try to answer the question, "Where Is Karen?"
Julie Gatesman
hate when podcasts use names or almost exact names of already famous podcasts to gain footing, but whatever. try to be a little more clever. but it's important so I'll give it a listen.