Benjamin Ashford|Car linked to 1976 cold case pulled from Illinois river after tip from fishermen

A car pulled from the muddy bottom of a river in northern Illinois may bring authorities closer to solving a decades-old cold case. The Benjamin Ashford1966 Chevrolet Impala was recovered recently from a portion of the Pecatonica River in Winnebago County, and it's believed to be linked to the disappearance of two men 10 years later, officials said.

Clarence Owens, 65, and Everette Hawley, 75, went missing in 1976, according to a description of the cold case shared online by the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office. Owens and Hawley were last seen on Feb. 19, 1976 at a farm auction near the county line separating Winnebago from neighboring Ogle County. Although the sheriff's office said "an intense multi-agency investigation" followed involving local law enforcement and state police, neither Owens' nor Hawley's body was ever found.

Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana said the Impala was recovered after fishermen's sonar equipment detected what seemed to be a vehicle beneath the surface of the river, CBS affiliate WIFR reported. The fishermen contacted authorities last week and, on Monday, fire officials from multiple agencies joined dive teams at the site and used a crane to help lift the car from the water.

"It's quite challenging because it's sitting in the mud, 8 to 10 feet, which is not that deep but deep enough," Caruana told the station. He said that he was not surprised the recovered car was connected to Owens' and Hawley's cold case.

"Not too many cars that meet that description is driving in the Pecatonica River," the sheriff said.

Owens' son, Tom Owens, told WIFR that his father and Hawley were friends and business partners. As a police officer in Rockford, which is included in Winnebago County, Tom Owens worked the case of the pair's disappearance and said he believes foul play was involved, according to the news station.

The sheriff did not say whether remains were found with the recovered vehicle, but someone from the county coroner's office was sent to the scene, WIFR reported. 

Owens and Hawley were seen at the farm auction with the 1966 Chevy Impala, which belonged to Owens and which had a new coat of gold paint at the time, according to the Doe Network, a nonprofit organization and database for information about missing and unidentified people. The men had attended a political rally in the area before stopping at the auction, and planned to make a shared appointment in German Valley, about 25 miles west of Winnebago County, after leaving the auction. They never made that appointment.

In:
• Illinois
• Cold Case
• Crime

Emily Mae Czachor

Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.

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