Missing teen died accidentally driving into lake on way to party, Illinois cops say

A 17-year-old girl who went missing while driving to a holiday work party was found dead in a pond, Illinois police say.

The body was discovered Tuesday, Dec. 12, in Vernon Hills, according to a joint news release from police departments in Carpentersville and Vernon Hills. Formal identification is pending, but authorities believe it is of Brissa Romero, who went missing Dec. 4.

Brissa, who lived in Carpentersville, was believed to be on her way to Bowlero in nearby Vernon Hills, McClatchy News reported. She was driving a 2008 Nissan Rogue.

Her vehicle was recovered Monday from the retention pond, police said. Authorities also found several of Brissa’s items along the pond’s shore, including her backpack.

The body found Tuesday matches the description of Brissa, police said, and no further leads are being investigated.

The car drove 60 feet into the pond and sunk in water that was 20 feet deep, police told WBBM.

It’s believed Brissa accidentally drove into the pond when she did not navigate an intersection correctly, officers said.

“Video from a nearby fast food restaurant taken shortly before the phone’s last communication with area cell towers suggests Brissa was driving at the time, and there is no indication of foul play,” police said in the news release.

Brissa was a student at Harper College in Palatine, about 30 miles northwest of Chicago. The college called the discovery of Brissa’s body “devastating news.”

“Brissa by all accounts had an incredibly bright future, including aspirations to become a sonographer,” the college said. “Words simply aren’t adequate to describe the pain of a life cut short.”

This story was originally published December 13, 2023 at 8:39 AM with the headline "Missing teen died accidentally driving into lake on way to party, Illinois cops say."