Somebody Knows Something
In May of 2024, Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley created the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit to take a fresh look at unsolved homicides and missing persons cases with the belief that dedicating resources and using new technology will help solve these cases. As part of this new unit, the Elgin Police Department also decided to launch a podcast dedicated to Elgin cold cases to seek information from the public.Somebody Knows Something: The Elgin Police Cold Case Podcast was created by the Elgin Police Department and is recorded with assistance of WRMN in Elgin, Illinois. Detective Andrew Houghton and Detective Matt Vartanian of the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit host the podcast and take listeners along as they investigate missing persons and homicide cases in real time and seek justice for the victims and closure for their families. This podcast includes actual police interviews, re-creations, and information that has never been released publicly as Elgin Police seek assistance from the community.In Season 1, "Where is Karen?", detectives investigate the disappearance of 23-year-old Karen Schepers, who, along with her car, disappeared without a trace after a night out with co-workers on April 16th, 1983.Anyone with information on Karen's case or any other cold case in the City of Elgin are encouraged to contact the Elgin Police Deparment via email at ColdCaseTips@elginil.gov or via phone at 1-847-289-COLD. A list of all cold case missing persons and homicide cases are listed at https://epdopendata-cityofelgin.hub.arcgis.com/pages/cold-cases.DISCLAIMER: This podcast is based on information sourced primarily from police reports and media reports, but certain names and other identifying details may have been changed or altered for privacy and security reasons. While the events and cases discussed are based on real investigations, some aspects may be simplified for time and for narrative purposes. Voice actors may be used to read from statements or documents. All information presented is intended solely to inform and raise awareness. Hosts may discuss theories regarding the cases examined in this podcast, but such discussions are not intended to, and should not be considered by the listener to be, legal conclusions. All persons discussed are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Listener discretion is advised.
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epdopendata-cityofelgin.hub.arcgis.com/pages/cold-casesEpisodes
Episode 8: The Dive
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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.
2025-03-31Link to episode
Episode 7: Bodies of Water
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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.
2025-03-17Link to episode
Episode 6: Serial Killers on the Fox
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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.
2025-03-17Link to episode
Episode 5 - Lurking In The Parking Lot
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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.
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Episode 4 - The Bikers and The Van
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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.
2025-03-03Link to episode
Episode 3 - A Desperate Choice
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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.
2025-02-17Link to episode
Episode 2 - Who is Karen Schepers?
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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.
2025-02-17Link to episode
Episode 1 - Reported Missing
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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?"
2025-02-03Link to episode
Episode 0 - Creating A Cold Case Unit
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In May of 2024, Chief Ana Lalley created the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit to review cold case homicides, missing persons, sexual assaults, and unidentified remains cases in Elgin, Illinois. In this episode, Chief Lalley provides some background on the Elgin Police Department, the City of Elgin, and she discusses why she felt this unit was necessary and what she hopes to achieve with it. Detective Andrew Houghton and Detective Matt Vartanian from the newly created Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit, who will host this podcast, also introduce themselves, discuss the creation of the unit, and select the first case that they are investigating for Season 1.
2025-01-20Link to episode