Body Recovered Amid Search for Ill. Teen Who Disappeared While on Way to Work Party
While the body has not been formally identified, Carpentersville police believe it matches 17-year-old Brissa Romero's description
A body believed to be that of an Illinois teenager who vanished while on her way to a holiday work party has been found after a week-long search.
The Carpentersville Police Department said in a press release that a dead female’s body was recovered in a pond just outside of Chicago early Tuesday afternoon amid the search for 17-year-old Brissa Romero, who went missing on Dec. 4.
"While formal identification of the remains is pending confirmation by the Lake County Coroner’s Office, the deceased female recovered from the pond matches Brissa’s description,” police said, adding that no foul play is suspected.
Village of Carpentersville Public Safety
Romero was believed to have been on her way to a holiday work party at a bowling alley in Vernon Hills, a suburb about 40 miles north of Chicago, when she disappeared. However, police said she never showed up and, before that, was last spotted on surveillance video while visiting a family member in Des Plaines, Ill.
Related: Ill. Teen Vanished While on Way to Work Party, Car Found Submerged in Pond
Police have been searching for her ever since, and on Monday, after reviewing cell phone data, were led to a retention pond in Vernon Hills, the release states.
Several items belonging to Romero, including a backpack containing what police say was identifying information, were then found along the pond’s shore. As the search involving sonar and dive teams continued, investigators recovered Romero’s missing 2008 Nissan Rogue submerged in the water, police said.
“Preliminary investigation suggests the car was accidentally driven into the pond after the driver failed to navigate the T-intersection,” police said.
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According to police, surveillance footage obtained from a nearby fast food restaurant and taken shortly before Romero’s phone last pinged, suggests she was driving around the time she was believed to have gone missing.
On Monday, Romero’s sister, Dulce Romero, told ABC 7 Chicago that she was holding out hope for her sister's safe return.
"The vehicle has no body inside,” she told the outlet. “They will be searching the pond to see if Brissa's body is in there. Until now, in my heart, I still believe she's out there.”
“The men and women of both the Carpentersville and Vernon Hills Police Departments worked diligently and with sincere hope for Brissa’s safe return since she was reported missing,” the release states. “The Departments thank Brissa’s family, friends, and members of the community who worked to bring awareness to Brissa’s case and offer their deepest condolences to the Romero family.”
The investigation into the crash and its circumstances is ongoing, and police said they are being assisted by members of the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team.
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