Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Sangamon County Sheriff Paula Crouch says neither she nor her investigators are giving up yet on the case of Brenda Bottoms. — missing since the age of 22 in 1987.
“We have obtained more information that is keeping us on that investigation, that is giving us hope, that we are going to find some closure for this family, hopefully soon,” said Crouch, to the Sangamon County Board recently.
“We have received information about the possible remains of an individual in a well, in a deserted well,” said Crouch.
Crouch, while not mentioning Bottoms by name, said she utilized Petersburg Plumbing and the Laborers’ Disaster Response Team (LDRT) to excavate what has turned out to be two pieces of land in the Auburn area. Nothing has been found yet, but Crouch says a third dig will soon be scheduled.
“We scheduled with Illinois State Police. We consulted with the Coroner’s Office,” said Crouch. “(The Laborers’ Disaster Response Team) partnered with Petersburg Plumbing; they brought out major equipment. They had employees that were out with us from early in the morning, until way after everybody else had gone home, not only one day, but two different days, two different wells.”
According to the webpage of LiUNA — the Laborers International Union of North America — the non-profit LDRT “offers immediate relief to the suffering of disaster victims. The LDRT is comprised of workers in the building trades (laborers, operating engineers, and teamsters) who have spent much of their professional lives removing debris from construction and demolition sites. Because of our professional training, we can safely and efficiently move trees and other debris from roadways and people’s property so first responders, utility companies, and other necessary personnel can enter a disaster area.”
Team members told the Sangamon County Board in addition to several tornados they’ve responded to this year, they considered the Bottoms disappearance as something they should help with. Crouch gave the team and Petersburg Plumbing recognition certificates at the last Sangamon County Board meeting. She says while that wasn’t what the work was all about, utilizing the team has saved taxpayers a considerable amount of money on the investigation.
