Detectives’ true crime podcast helps dig up breakthrough in case that haunted family: ‘drew audible gasp’
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What started as a way for a pair of two Illinois detectives to crowdsource tips to solve decades-old cold cases ended in a shocking discovery. 

Detectives Andrew Houghton and Matt Vartanian were looking to breathe new life into unsolved cases by launching the true-crime podcast, “Somebody Knows Something,” in October 2024 at the request of Elgin Police Department Chief Ana Lalley. Their goal centered around using modern investigative technology to potentially bring closure to local families.

“We both kind of looked at each other and said, ‘No, I’m not really sure that’s for us’,” Vartanian told Fox News Digital. “Then we took a step back, were open-minded in our thinking and objective, and thought that this could be a really good vehicle to utilize investigative processes within law enforcement.”

With this case, it was a bit of a unicorn in the fact that we had no idea what happened to her,” Houghton said. “Don’t be afraid to fail, don’t be afraid of looking foolish. Because at the end of the day, the goal is to find this person and we did that in this case. If we do this five more times and this is the only time it works out, so be it. But if you do this five or 10 times, and you find one case or solve one case, it’s totally worth doing that for that family.” 

Houghton and Vartanian are already planning on the next case to revive in the second season of their podcast, telling Fox News Digital it will likely be a homicide investigation. 

Houghton and Vartanian were able to provide her 90-year-old mother with two items recovered from her vehicle – her sapphire birthstone ring and class of 1977 high school graduation tassel – providing a sense of closure for Schepers’ loved ones as the mystery surrounding her disappearance finally comes to a close. 

“We hope for continued success on each and every cold case,” Schepers’ family said. “Miracles do happen.”

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