HANCOCK COUNTY, W.Va. — A volunteer search-and-recovery team is continuing efforts to locate a woman who disappeared more than 15 years ago near Mountaineer Casino.
Chaos Divers, a southern Illinois-based group, is searching the Ohio River near New Cumberland for Karen Adams and her vehicle. Adams disappeared in March 2011, and the group has been investigating her case since 2021.
The team uses boats equipped with sonar technology to search waterways for submerged vehicles. Before entering the water, members gather information about a missing person’s last known location, intended destination and other available details that could help narrow the search area.
When sonar detects an object that could be a vehicle, the team marks the location and sends divers into the water to determine what was found. If a vehicle connected to a missing-person case is located, law enforcement is contacted to oversee the recovery process.
Chaos Divers has helped locate 23 missing people over the past four and a half years. The organization focuses much of its work on cases in which leads have become limited over time.
The group is funded through its YouTube and Facebook platforms and does not accept reward money offered in missing-person cases.
The search for Adams and her vehicle remains ongoing in the Ohio River near New Cumberland.
