Elgin cold case detectives nominated for 2025 ‘America’s Greatest Detective’ award by crime and trial network
The Elgin Police Department detectives who located the body of a woman missing for 42 years have been nominated for the 2025 “America’s Greatest Detective” award by Law&Crime, a true crime and live trial network.
Detectives Matt Vartanian and Andrew Houghton took on the mystery of what happened to then 23-year-old Karen Schepers, who went missing after a night out with friends in Carpentersville in 1983, as the first investigation of the department’s new Cold Case Unit last October.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250402/news/an-incredible-miracle-schepers-family-thanks-police-divers-for-finding-karen-after-42-years/They created a podcast called “Somebody Knows Something” to solicit information and clues about what happened to her. Her car and remains were discovered in the Fox River several weeks after the podcast’s first episode aired.
The renewed interest propelled the podcast into the top 1% of downloads globally and earned Vartanian and Houghton appearances on national television and at major true crime events.
The award will be announced in September during the CrimeCon CLUE Awards ceremony in Denver, which honors exceptional investigative work by law enforcement professionals nationwide.
“Andrew and Matt are deserving of this nomination, as their work on the Karen Schepers case has forever changed a family, a police department and a community in a profound and enduring manner,” Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley said in a press release. “Their unwavering pursuit of answers, and the graciousness of the Schepers family — who allowed us to reopen this investigation and believed in us — let us bring Karen home.”
Season two of the podcast is available and features a new lineup of unsolved cases from the 1970s.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250725/crime/elgin-cold-case-detectives-launch-season-2-of-hit-podcast-seeking-to-solve-1970s-murders-and-disapp/“I am humbled by our nomination and appreciate the community’s interest not only in Karen Schepers’ case but also in our other cold cases,” Houghton said in the release. “Being recognized with this nomination will allow more people to become involved and help us continue our work as an innovative department that is not afraid to embrace change and promote transparency in law enforcement.”