AUBURN, Ill. (WAND) - The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its search for a woman who disappeared nearly 40 years ago.
Brenda Bottoms, 22, was last seen in June 1987 getting into a car on North Fifth Street in Auburn, Illinois. She has not been seen or heard from since.
In 2025, the sheriff’s office reopened its review of the case. Detectives have since conducted new interviews and re-interviewed people previously connected to the investigation.
Investigators say the renewed case review has provided credible information about where evidence may be located and has produced new details about a vehicle connected to Bottoms’ disappearance.
On Aug. 5, 2026, detectives and several partner agencies searched a property in Auburn. The Illinois State Police, Laborers’ Disaster Response Team and Sangamon County Water Reclamation District assisted with the operation.
With the homeowner’s cooperation, crews began excavating the backyard, focusing on an abandoned well. The search is ongoing at that property and at other locations.
The sheriff’s office has not said whether investigators have recovered any evidence.
Anyone with information about Brenda Bottoms’ disappearance is encouraged to contact the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.
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