Rescue crews in Vernon Hills have recovered a body from a pond, possibly bringing closure to the eight-day search for 17-year-old Brissa Romero from Carpentersville.
The discovery comes a day after locating Brissa’s car submerged in the same pond.
While the Lake County Coroner’s Office has not definitively identified the body, the police suggest that it closely matches Brissa’s description, and her phone last pinged near the pond on the day she disappeared.
Divers found the body in the pond near Lakeview and Executive Parkways around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12. Fourteen sonar techs using three boats were actively involved in the search.
Authorities believe Brissa was in her Nissan Rogue when it entered the pond, and the body discovered aligns with the missing teen’s description.
The ongoing investigation is spearheaded by the Carpentersville and Vernon Hills Police Departments.
Despite the heartbreaking turn, the police express gratitude for the community’s support and extend condolences to the Romero family.
Brissa, who was reported missing on Dec. 4, was believed to be en route to a bowling alley in Vernon Hills to attend a holiday party.
However, she never arrived. A breakthrough in the search came a week later when analysis of cell phone data led authorities to focus on the pond in Vernon Hills.
The search intensified after locating a backpack believed to be Brissa’s and culminated in finding her car submerged in the pond on Monday.
Police are operating on the belief that Brissa might have been unfamiliar with the area and, instead of making a turn at an intersection, accidentally drove into the pond.
The vehicle, estimated to have traveled approximately 60 feet into the pond, was pulled from the water.
Surveillance footage obtained from a nearby fast-food restaurant showed Brissa walking alone and later driving away about 15 minutes before her phone last pinged near the pond.
Despite the discovery of the car, the search for Brissa continued into Tuesday morning when the body was found.
Brissa’s family, present during the search and recovery operation, was too distraught to comment on the tragic development. The investigation is ongoing, and the body will undergo further examination by the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
