wow...so there mite be hope? I mean if he described things that look true to relatives. One would have to wonder where they have been living, and how they would pay for things like food and clothes and gas? Since one of them had a hubby and left her dog one would want to think that it was just a trip to the store. But if they ran into car trouble or got lost they could call someone. I wonder if the family is still searching? I mean so much time has gone by they could be anywhere.
A wrong turn on a dark road can lead to driving directly into some lakes because of poorly sited and poorly marked boat ramps,as well as large ponds and streams near lightly travelled roads.Only in a few cases is the water so transparent that a car submerged a few feet beneath the surface would be noticed.Several persons have died mistakenly driving into one Indiana (Brookville?)lake via the boat ramp after dark.
As for criminal activity,cars can be hidden in barns,garages,or old factories and taken apart or shipped out in a box truck or hauled off in one of the thousands of enclosed trailers seen every day.Cars can even be buried;a goofy neighbor buried his decrepit station wagon years ago rather than just calling up the junkyard.He thought he would have to pay to have it removed,but he did have a company back-hoe sitting there ,so.......
Since no credit cards use has shown up in all this time,I have to lean towards the "accidentally drove into water or ravine" theory.Of course the police will also be watching the relatives in regards to how they act,life insurance claims and so on.Sadly,a number of missing persons cases are disguised killings by relatives.
Yes, a “mite of hope” describes it. I think it is unlikely to be them. That is almost three months ago. The police probably checked it out already. But, two posts for Illinois seems strange.
Still, we have not found them or the car. Until we do, we can not rule anything out.