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Police have reportedly recovered a body from a retention pond amid a search for 17-year-old Brissa Romero, who went missing on December 4. The body was found on Tuesday, December 12, in a pond in Vernon Hills, one day after the car of a missing Illinois teen was recovered from the water.
While the body has not been definitively identified by authorities, police said that it matches Brissa's description. In a press release, police said Brissa Romero was in her Nissan Rogue when it went into the water. Authorities, while noting foul play was not suspected, added:
"While formal identification of the remains is pending confirmation by the Lake County Coroner’s Office, the deceased female recovered from the pond matches Brissa’s description.”
Police said that preliminary investigation suggested the teen accidentally drove her car into the pond after she failed to navigate the T-intersection of Lakeview Parkway and Executive Parkway.
What we know about Brissa Romero's disappearance
A week after 17-year-old Brissa Romero disappeared while on her way to a holiday party, a body believed to be her was recovered in a pond in Vernon Hills on Tuesday.
Romero was on her way to a holiday work party at a bowling alley in Vernon Hills when she went missing on December 4, 2023. The teen was last seen on surveillance video while visiting a family member in Des Plaines on the same day.
Police said that a week after she went missing, on Monday, December 11, they received cell phone data that led search teams to the pond in Vernon Hills. Shortly after, authorities reportedly recovered several items belonging to Romero, including a backpack on the pond shore. A search involving sonar and dive teams led to the discovery of Romero’s missing 2008 Nissan Rogue, found submerged in the water.
Shortly after, a search team using sonar techs found a body matching Romero’s description. While police have yet to officially identify the body, they believe it is Brissa Romero, who accidentally drove into the pond, while on her way to the party.
Brissa Romero graduated from Barrington High School last year
In a statement, police, who suspended the search for the missing girl, extended their condolences to the teen’s family. They also expressed gratitude to community members who assisted with the search for Brissa Romero, who graduated from Barrington High School last year. They said:
"The men and women of both the Carpentersville and Vernon Hills Police Departments worked diligently and with sincere hope for Brissa's safe return since she was reported missing. The Departments thank Brissa's family, friends, and members of the community who worked to bring awareness to Brissa's case and offer their deepest condolences to the Romero family.”
CBS reported that Romero’s family, who were present at the pond when the body was found, were too distraught to speak at the scene.
