Authorities Find No Trace of Missing Ransom Woman

December 10, 2010 - After days of searching, authorities in LaSalle County have found no trace of a 40-year-old mother who disappeared after a car accident that killed her husband. According to a report at the Chicago Breaking News Center, search and rescue personnel were forced to call off their search late on Tuesday due to worsening weather.

The mother of 4, who is from the Joliet area, has been missing since just before 2 a.m. Sunday morning. She was leaving a Christmas party with her husband when their car crashed into a utility pole on a snow-covered road in Brookfield Township. Her husband, a 41-year-old man, died of a broken neck and was found at the scene.

Deputies say footprints indicate that the woman walked away from the crash wearing slippers, and she has not been seen since. There are multiple theories about her disappearance. Some think she may have been injured and collapsed in the snow, while others speculate that she may have been picked up by a passing motorist.

On Wednesday, deputies with the LaSalle County Sheriff's Department said they received a signal from the husband's cell phone, which may lead them to the location of the missing woman.