Fishermen using sonar equipment find car at bottom of Illinois river

NBC News has reported that Fishermen using sonar equipment find car at bottom of Illinois river in a case that appears to be connected to a 1976 cold case disappearance of two Illinois men.

The fishermen were using sonar to track for a good fishing location when they saw a large object that appeared to be a vehicle, then they contacted local authorities.

A gold 1966 Chevrolet Impala was found about 8 to 10 feet below the surface of the Pecatonica River, Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana said at a news conference on Wednesday.

The vehicle is linked to the nearly 50-year cold case of Clarence Owens, 65, and Everette Hawley, 75, who went missing on Feb. 19, 1976.

They were last seen at a farm auction near the Winnebago-Ogle County line and had been driving a gold 1966 Chevrolet Impala at the time they vanished, according to authorities.

Human skeletal remains as well as personal items were also found at the dive scene, Jennifer Muraski, the Winnebago County coroner, said.