Remains found in car in river ID'd as men who vanished in 1976

DNA testing on skeletal remains found in a car pulled from an Illinois river confirmed they are those of two men who vanished in 1976 after leaving a farm auction, authorities said.

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.

"It's quite challenging because it's sitting in the mud, 8 to 10 feet, which is not that deep but deep enough," Sheriff Caruana told CBS affiliate WIFR-TV after the discovery.

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 .

Owens and Hawley were seen at the farm auction with the Impala, which belonged to Owens and which had a new coat of gold paint at the time, according to the Doe Network , a nonprofit 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

More than 100 bones were retrieved from the vehicle and the river at the site about 100 miles 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.

"This is a testament to the dedication and perseverance of our detectives and forensic experts," Sheriff Caruana said. "It's a reminder that no case is ever truly closed no matter how much time has passed."