Voices for the Victims
In May of 2024, Elgin (IL) Police Chief Ana Lalley created the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit to take a fresh look at unsolved homicides and missing persons cases with the belief that dedicating resources and using new technology will help solve these cases. As part of this new unit, the Elgin Police Department launched a podcast dedicated to Elgin cold cases to seek information from the public.
Somebody Knows Something: The Elgin Police Cold Case Podcast was created by the Elgin Police
25 most recent episodes
Visit website →In this episode, newly uncovered records turn the entire investigation upside down — revealing a timeline no one expected and connections to Elgin that run far deeper than anyone knew. Detective Beth Sterricker joins the team to break it all down, an
In 1982, Wyteria Jones vanished from a rundown Elgin, Illinois hotel where she was living as an outpatient of the Elgin Mental Health Center. Over 40 years later, her case remains unsolved. In this episode of the Elgin Police Department's Cold Case P
Season 3 of Somebody Knows Something — the Elgin Police Department's Cold Case Podcast — opens a brand new case: the 1982 disappearance of Wyteria Jones.
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Chris Hall introduce listeners to Wyteria, a Black woman from rur
Bonus Episode – Still Missing
As the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit heads into 2026 and prepares for Season 3 of Somebody Knows Something, Detectives Andrew Houghton and Chris Hall are taking stock of every open missing persons case in their
In this final episode of the season, Detectives Andrew Houghton and Chris Hall from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit lay out the investigation into Renee’s murder in 1979, release new information about the case, and discuss potential links
On November 23, 1979, the day after Thanksgiving, Renee Cruz Tovar decided to stay home while her roommate went out on a date. The following morning, November 24, 1979, her roommate returned home and found Renee murdered in their apartment. In Part
It was a warm, summer evening when 68-year-old Cayce D. Kyles strolled down an alley behind the Douglas Hotel in downtown Elgin on July 21, 1977. Moments later, he was attacked and stabbed to death less than a block from the Elgin Police Department.
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Chris Hall from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit continue their investigation into the disappearance of Barbara Glueckert as they meet with retired Mount Prospect Detective Mike Nelson who worked on Barbara Gl
During “Season One: Where Is Karen?” Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian researched the previous tenant of Karen Schepers’ apartment, Thomas Urlacher. They found that while he was not involved in Karen’s disappearance, he was the prime sus
On the morning of June 22, 1976, 16-year-old Lori Jean Bolger left a summer driver’s ed class at Larkin High School to walk home to South Elgin, Illinois. She planned to meet friends to swim, but she never made it. Less than two hours after she left
It was a cold, winter night when 47-year-old Maynard Chester Holley left his wife and children to head to work at the Yellow Cab Company in downtown Elgin on February 18, 1975. Hours later, he was murdered in the office as he sat dispatching taxis.
On June 30, 1971, a 35-year-old foreman at the Woodruff and Edwards Foundry, Guadalupe Alanis, was murdered while working in downtown Elgin. Detectives Andrew Houghton and Chris Hall of the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit review Guadalupe’s c
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit make an announcement for Season Two and introduce a new detective, Chris Hall, as Matt is promoted and leaves the unit. Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley also
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit reflect on the past 6 months of this investigation with Karen’s family, friends, and coworkers as Karen finally comes home and is laid to rest.
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit wrap up Karen’s cold case investigation by detailing the final steps in Karen’s case and they discuss what they believed most likely happened to Karen on th
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit speak with Jacob Grubbs and Lindsay Bussick from Chaos Divers, the group which was instrumental in bringing Karen Schepers home, to talk about their organiz
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit search the Fox River with the Illinois-based search and recovery team Chaos Divers and make a discovery almost 42 years in the making.
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit move up their original Theory #6, that Karen and her car are submerged in a body of water, as new tips come in and new technology becomes available. They i
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit review multiple serial killers who were active in the Elgin area in the early 1980’s and travel to the Pontiac Correctional Facility to interview Brian Duga
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit continue their investigation into Theory #2, that something happened at PM Bentley’s. As they review the case file, they discover that a former employee of
Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit travel to the site where PM Bentley’s was in 1983 with the owner as they investigate Theory #2, that something happened at PM Bentley’s. They discuss a wit
Detectives Andrew Houghton & Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit interview members of Karen's family, her close friends, & her co-workers to get a sense of who Karen was as a person and to evaluate Theory #1, that Karen mad
Detectives Andrew Houghton & Matt Vartanian from the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit begin their investigation into the 1983 disappearance of Karen Schepers by interviewing the people who knew her best, members of her family.
On Friday, April 15th, 1983, Karen Schepers, a vibrant 23-year-old woman from Elgin, Illinois, went to see a live band and socialize with a group of co-workers at a bar called P.M. Bentley's in Carpentersville, Illinois. Karen danced, drank, and enjo
In May of 2024, Chief Ana Lalley created the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit to review cold case homicides, missing persons, sexual assaults, and unidentified remains cases in Elgin, Illinois. In this episode, Chief Lalley provides some back