An investigation into a woman who went missing nearly 40 years ago has led to an Auburn property.
In June 1987, 22-year-old Brenda Bottoms was last seen getting into a car on North 5th Street in Auburn. She has been missing since that night. Investigators say she was walking home from a local tavern when she and another woman encountered two male individuals and went to an apartment complex in the 200 block of North 5th Street to talk.
Authorities believe she was last observed getting into a brown vehicle described as having dents on the passenger side. Witnesses indicated that she appeared to know the occupant or occupants of the vehicle and entered voluntarily.
In 2025, the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office began reviewing old case files.
The renewed investigation has resulted in detectives conducting numerous interviews, both of persons previously interviewed as well as new contacts.
Investigators have developed new information indicating that additional individuals may have been present and may have seen Brenda prior to her disappearance.
As a result of these interviews and a review of past documentation, the office said it has credible information on the location of evidence in Brenda’s disappearance as well as new information on the suspect vehicle.
On Wednesday, August 5, 2026, detectives, as well as several organizations, including the Illinois State Police, the Laborer’s Disaster Response Team, and Sangamon County Water Reclamation District responded to an identified residence in Auburn.
"With cooperation from the homeowner, an excavation of the residence’s backyard was started with the focus on an abandoned well. The excavation and search of this location as well as additional locations is ongoing, and at this time, the office will not comment on any potential items or evidence recovered," the office said.
While this investigation continues, the sheriff’s office encourages anyone with information about the disappearance of Brenda Bottoms to come forward.
You can call Sangamon County Investigations at 217-753-6840 or CRIMESTOPPERS at 217-788-8427.
