Lake Co. Sheriff resuming search for N. Barrington woman

Lake County Sheriff officials are heading back to Lakewood Forest Preserve near Wauconda to search for a missing 61-year-old woman who disappeared from her North Barrington home sometime this week.

Sheriff officials will use dogs from the Cook County Sheriff's Office and helicopters to search the forest preserve and the bar parking lot where Maria Carlsen's car was discovered, Lt. Christopher Thompson said.

Carlsen had packed her bags, checked in with her husband and daughter, and was ready to fly to Florida on Monday, authorities said, but she was not home when a limo arrived Tuesday morning for her scheduled trip to the airport and flight to Florida.

The limo driver knocked and called her phone, but there was no response, family members said. A search of her luggage inside her home showed she had even packed Valentine's Day cards for her husband and grandkids.

Sheriff's deputies responded to a well-being check Tuesday and found the doors locked and no signs of a break-in or tampering. A search of the home found Carlsen's cellphone and jacket, but her purse and 5 Series BMW were both missing.

Police discovered the BMW in the parking lot outside J&D Bar and Grill at Route 12 and Old Rand Road near Wauconda, 3.5 miles from Carlsen's home.

Family members said Carlsen had never been to the bar before, to their knowledge.

Police believe the vehicle was parked at the lot between late Monday night and early Tuesday. There were no signs of violence or a struggle when they inspected the vehicle, Thompson said.

Bar owners said there were very few customers in the bar Monday night and the business closed about 11:30 p.m. The empty BMW was in the parking lot when owners arrived at 9 a.m. Tuesday, police said. Thompson said owners of the bar did not see Carlson enter Monday night.

After finding the vehicle, the sheriff's office assembled a search team with helicopter thermal imaging support, Thompson said, and conducted a systematic search of the forest preserve Wednesday but came up empty, Thompson said.

Authorities are monitoring Carlsen's credit card and bank account for any sign of use, but there had been no activity as of Wednesday, Thompson said.

Carlsen is described as 5-feet, 4-inches tall and weighing about 115 pounds. She has brown eyes and brown hair with a few red highlights. Thompson said they don't know what Carlsen was wearing when she went missing.