Car pulled from Illinois river linked to Rockford-area men, missing since 1976
What happened to two Rockford-area men who disappeared nearly 50 years ago is still unknown, but authorities believe they now have their car.
At around 2:30 p.m. Monday, crews used a crane to pull a brown 1966 Chevrolet Impala sedan from the Pecatonica River near the corner of East First and Washington streets in Pecatonica after fishermen spotted it with a sonar fish finder last week.
According to the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, it is the vehicle 72-year-old Everett Hawley and 65-year-old Clarence Owens took to a farm auction on Feb. 19, 1976, near the Winnebago-Ogle County line. They were never seen again.
The coroner was called to the scene Monday, although no information about whether human remains were found in the car has been released.
Hawley was a real estate broker in Freeport. Owens was a salesperson in Hawley’s firm.
Jim Hagerty writes about business, growth and development and other general news topics for the Rockford Register Star. Email him at jhagerty@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Car pulled out of Illinois river linked to missing Rockford-area men
