MISSING WOMAN FOUND DEAD IN SUBMERGED CAR
A body found in a car in a retention pond early Thursday in Kankakee has been identified as a missing northwest suburban woman, and her family is thanking law- enforcement authorities for bringing them “closure.”
Sheila Khalili, 27, was expected to return to her parents’ home in Schaumburg on Friday, but never arrived, according to Schaumburg police. She was last seen in Bourbonnais, where she was a nursing student at Olivet Nazarene University. The school said she had checked out of her residence hall and had “left campus for the summer” before she went missing.
On Thursday, a Kankakee County sheriff’s deputy was searching the shoulder of Interstate 57 near mile marker 317 and found a white side- view mirror and a front car bumper along with an Illinois license plate, which matched Khalili’s car, police said.
Divers searched a retention pond near where the debris was located, and found a submerged car, police said. A deceased female matching Khalili’s description was found inside. Police believe it was a single- car crash.
A statement released by family attorney Thomas Glasgow said, “The family of Sheila Khalili extends their deepest thanks to the efforts of law enforcement, the media, Olivet Nazarene University, as well as the many friends and relatives that contributed their time and efforts to the search for the recovery of Sheila.
“The location of the car and the recovery of Sheila’s body gives the family closure, and they understand that without the help of law enforcement, the media and the public, they would never have closure in her disappearance.”