Palatine, IL – Investigators with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office are renewing their call for information in the decades-old disappearance of Stephanie Lyng, a Palatine woman who vanished in 1977 and has never been found.
According to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Lyng was 39 years old when she was last seen on October 25, 1977, leaving a neighbor’s home to return to her residence in Palatine, where she planned to meet a carpet installer. She never arrived.
Later that same day, Lyng’s 15-year-old daughter reported her missing after she failed to return home. Four days later, authorities located Lyng’s vehicle abandoned at O’Hare International Airport, raising concerns about possible foul play.
The case is now being highlighted as part of the Sheriff’s Office Missing Persons Project, a specialized initiative focused on long-term missing persons cases that remain unsolved. Investigators say renewed public awareness can often generate fresh tips, even decades later.
Lyng would be 87 years old today. She is described as a White female with green eyes and brown hair, standing approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing about 140 pounds at the time of her disappearance.
Officials stress that even small or previously overlooked details could be critical. Anyone who may have seen Lyng in Palatine, near O’Hare International Airport, or elsewhere in Cook County in late October 1977 is urged to come forward.
The Cook County Sheriff’s Special Victims Unit is asking anyone with information to call 773-674-9490 or email ccso.missingpersons@ccsheriff.org. Additional case details are available through the Sheriff’s Office Missing Persons Project website.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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