Drowning Of Competitive Swimmer Now Classified A Homicide: Authorities

KANE COUNTY, IL — The death of a competitive swimmer who was found drowned in her family pool sixteen years ago has been classified as a homicide as authorities continue to search for answers into how Anna Schneider died.

Schneider, 19, of Sleepy Hollow, was found dead over the Fourth of July weekend in 2009. Schneider was a certified scuba diver who'd been swimming competitively since she was 5 years old at the time of her death.

Following her death, the Kane County Coroner's Office determined her cause of death to be drowning and the manner of death to be undetermined. In 2022, the coroner's changed that classification to homicide following an exhumation, according to Shaw Local News Network.

The Kane County Major Crimes Task Force assisted the coroner's office with an exhumation on July 16, 2020, The coroner's office conducted an autopsy before Schneider was buried again, according to a news release sent out in 2020.

"The focus of this cold case from the beginning has been to obtain more information in an effort to finally determine the manner of death," Russell said. "We know that Anna drowned (cause), however the original investigation did not yield enough facts to close the manner. This is why it was appropriately ruled as an undetermined manner of death."

As of this past week, Kane County State's Attorney Jamie Mosser said prosecutors do not have enough, yet, to file charges in the case. Authorities are asking anyone with information regarding Schneider's death to share it with authorities.

• Questions Remain In 2009 Drowning Of Competitive Swimmer

Paramedics were called to Schneider's home, which she shared with her parents in Sleepy Hollow, at about 5 a.m. July 4, 2009. Sleepy Hollow Police Chief Jim Montalbano told the newspaper in 2009 that it was unclear how Schneider, who was 19 years old at the time, got into the pool.

Schneider, a Dundee-Crown High School grad, was an accomplished competitive swimmer, a certified scuba diver and a passionate surfer, according to her obituary. She was among an elite group to be chosen to participate in the Shedd Aquarium's research program on a ship in the Bahamas and had just completed her freshman year at the University of Hawaii, where she was studying marine biology.

She also sang with the Chorale at Dundee-Crown and traveled to Europe with the Elgin Children's Chorus as a child and sang with the Vienna's boys choir, according to her obituary.

This is a developing story. Check back for details.