Remains of Pecatonica men missing since 1976 identified. What happened to them?

PECATONICA, Ill. (WTVO) – Will the mystery of how two northern Illinois men ended up inside a car at the bottom of the Pecatonica River ever truly be solved?

Area residents who have been following the case for nearly 50 years say barring a major breakthrough in the case, it’s not very likely.

“Who really knows,” said Kathleen Lomas, who lives and works in Pecatonica.

Lomas said she continues to scratch her head about what happened to Everett Hawley and Clarence Owens, who vanished from the town of 2,000 people on Feb. 19, 1976 .

“I hope there’s some closure,” she said. “I really do, for the families and those involved. But, then again, folklore lives on.”

Authorities confirmed this week that the skeletal remains found in the 1966 Chevrolet Impala that was pulled from the river in March belong to Owens and Hawley.

From foul play to a medical emergency, theories have been hanging over the case for 48 years.

“I’ve heard all of those,” Lomas said. “I heard maybe they were drinking and they crashed into the area.”

Before the Winnebago County Coroner’s Office reported that Owens’ and Hawley’s remains did not show signs of trauma, the most popular theory was that they’d been murdered. Now, however, there are holes in that theory.

“Someone could have clunked them over the head and just pushed them in the river,” said Mary Peterson, who also works in Pecatonica and has heard just about every rumor about the men over the years. “But, how can you have evidence when the bones are all that’s left? What evidence are you going to find?”

Because of the amount of time that has passed and because the amount of mystery that still surrounds the case, Peterson believes there will always be speculation.

“I don’t think it will ever be solved,” she said “It will just give people something to talk about. Even if someone comes up with a viable thing that happened, people won’t believe it. They’re going to make up their own stories.”

The case of Everett Hawley and Clarence Owens has not only resonated with the people of Pecatonica, it’s been the talk of the entire northern Illinois region for parts of six decades.

“It’s a mystery,” said Pamela King, of Freeport. “Were they parked on the bank and the brake gave way and they ended upon the river and couldn’t get out of the car? Or were they drunk? Who knows?”

The deaths of Everett Hawley and Clarence Owens are being investigated by the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office.

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