A search for a missing Illinois man had a poignant yet unexpected end when divers stumbled upon a decades old cold case. As reported by the New York Post, the incident involved an Army veteran who mysteriously vanished back in 2001.
The body was later found to be 39-year-old James Pisano Jr. He was found in a 1998 black Lincoln Town Car at the bottom of a pond in Hodgkins. He had mysteriously vanished in 2001, and despite missing person reports, he had all but disappeared.
But, the volunteer group "Chaos Divers" were not looking for Pisano. They were looking for another missing person, Hiep Luu.
In his obituary, published on Everloved, there was a heartfelt tribute to the man. "For 24 long years, his family carried unanswered questions while holding onto hope and memories of the man they loved."
It continued, "In 2025, discoveries were finally made that confirmed his passing, bringing long-awaited answers alongside unimaginable grief." It was only recently that the remains were formally identified as Pisano - meaning there were likely some police hurdles that had to be passed before the family could be made aware.
While the factors surrounding his death are understandably scarce, the obituary did note that the veteran did suffer with mental health problems.
Pisano had "proudly" served the army at a young age.
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The Chaos Divers Released a Statement on Facebook
In case you're not aware of their wonderful work, the Chaos Divers work to find missing people by diving into bodies of water. They most often work to figure out cold cases. After all, not many people think to look at the bottom of ponds and lakes.
And the discovery of the veteran is one of many that they make quite often.
In a statement on
"After 24 long years, John's family finally has the answers they have been searching for."
Rest in peace to John Pisano Jr. It's great news to hear that he's finally been found.
