A mystery spanning nearly five decades has finally been solved as DNA testing confirmed that skeletal remains found in a car pulled from the Pecatonica River are those of two men who vanished in 1976, CBS News reports.
The remains, discovered in March by fishermen using sonar, were identified as Clarence Owens and Everett Hawley, according to the Winnebago County Coroner’s Office. The two men had disappeared after leaving a farm auction on February 19, 1976, near the Winnebago-Ogle county line.
Hawley, a 72-year-old real estate broker from Stockton, Illinois, and Owens, a 65-year-old salesperson in Hawley’s firm from Freeport, Illinois, were last seen at the auction in Owens’ 1966 Chevrolet Impala, which had been freshly painted gold. The car was subsequently recovered from the river in the village of Pecatonica, roughly 100 miles west of Chicago.
“This brings us one step closer to providing closure to the families of Clarence Owens and Everett Hawley who have waited many years for answers that have been affected by this tragic case,” said Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana.
The discovery of the car and the remains sparked a renewed investigation. More than 100 bones were recovered from the vehicle and the riverbed, and DNA testing confirmed their identity.
Despite the lack of evidence of trauma to the remains, the cause of death remains undetermined. While foul play is not suspected, the investigation continues to unravel the circumstances surrounding the men’s disappearance.
