A body has been recovered from the car of a missing Carpentersville girl Dec. 4, a day after it was found in a pond, police said.
A search for 17-year-old Brissa Romero led to the recovery of her car Monday and a body Tuesday in a pond near Lakeview and Executive parkways.
Police said the body matched Brissa’s description, but a formal identification is underway by the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
Brissa is believed to have been on her way to a work holiday party in Bowlero, Vernon Hills, a suburb about 40 miles north of Chicago, when she disappeared on Dec. 4. Police said he was not seen at the party. Brissa’s social media accounts have not shown much activity since her disappearance, police said.
Seven days after Brissa’s disappearance, search teams were led to Lakeview and Executive parkways in Vernon Hills after analyzing her cell phone data, the release states.
A witness at the scene told officers he saw a floating backpack floating around. Officers found the backpack that belonged to Brissa. Additional crews were then brought in for an intensive search.
Brissa’s 2008 Nissan Rogue was recovered from the pond Monday at 4 p.m., but no body was recovered.
Police said the car was recovered from a depth of about 20 feet.
According to a preliminary investigation, police said, “The vehicle accidentally went into the water because the driver failed to navigate the intersection.”
According to surveillance video from a fast food restaurant near the pond, he left the restaurant, got into his car and pinged his cellphone for the last time 15 minutes later when he was near the pond.
Based on the condition of the vehicle and the initial investigation, police said Brissa was in the vehicle when it went into the water and the only effort at this time is to continue searching the pond for Brissa.
Brissa’s older sister Dulce said Bowlero of Vernon Hills left her cousin’s house in Des Plaines around 7 p.m. on Dec. 4 to go to a holiday party.
Brissa’s family is asking the public for information and offering a $14,000 reward for any information on Brissa’s safe return.
Please call the Carpentersville police department at 847-551-3481 if you have any information regarding her location.
