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Testing performed by the Illinois State Police Division of
Forensic Services confirmed they are the remains of Clarence
Owens and Everett Hawley, the Winnebago County Coroner’s Office
said Tuesday.
Hawley, 72, of Stockton, Illinois, and Owens, 65, of Freeport,
Illinois, vanished after leaving a farm auction on Feb. 19,
1976, near the Winnebago-Ogle county line, the Winnebago County
Sheriff’s Office said
Hawley was a real estate broker in Freeport, while Owens was a
salesperson in Hawley’s firm.
“This bring 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,” Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana said in a
statement.
In March, people fishing along the Pecatonica River discovered a
submerged vehicle in the river using a sonar fish finder.
Recovery crews then used a crane to pull the 1966 Chevrolet
Impala sedan from the river in the village of Pecatonica, the
Rockford Register Star reported.
The men had left the farm auction in that vehicle, authorities
said.
More than 100 bones were retrieved from the vehicle and the
river at the site about 100 miles (161 kilometers) west of
Chicago. DNA extracted from the bones was compared with DNA
profiles from the men’s relatives to identify them.
Before the DNA testing, the remains were examined by a forensic
anthropologist in St. Louis, Missouri, who found no evidence of
trauma.
Winnebago County Coroner Jennifer Muraski told WIFR-TV that how
the two men died is still unknown, but no foul play is
suspected. All
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