Crime & Safety

Family Offers $30,000 Reward In Daughter's Drowning Death

Anna Schneider, 19, of Sleepy Hollow, was found dead at about 5 a.m. on July 4, 2009, in her family's pool.


SLEEPY HOLLOW, IL — The family of a 19-year-old woman, who was found dead in a pool on the Fourth of July in 2009, is now offering a $30,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of their daughter's killer.

The reward offer comes after authorities, in recent years, determined the death was a homicide.

Anna Schneider, 19, of Sleepy Hollow, was found dead at about 5 a.m. on July 4, 2009, after paramedics were called to Schneider's home, which she shared with her parents in Sleepy Hollow. Authorities have said Anna was hanging out with a friend at her family's pool in the early-morning hours of the Fourth of July, according to the Daily Herald.

Find out what's happening in Crystal Lake-Caryfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

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.

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 — following an exhumation — the coroner's changed that classification to homicide, according to Shaw Local News Network.

Find out what's happening in Crystal Lake-Caryfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The Kane County Major Crimes Task Force assisted the coroner's office with an exhumation of Schneider's body 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.

In recent weeks, Kane County State's Attorney Jamie Mosser said prosecutors did 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.

Anyone with tips can share them with Sleepy Hollow Police by e-mailing Sleepy Hollow Police Chief Sam Parma at sparma@sleepyhollowil.org or calling the police department at 847-426-4425 and asking to be sent directly to Parma's voicemail, the Daily Herald is reporting.

Anna's mother, Martha Schneider, said she is considering putting up a billboard and pleading with the public: “If you know something, say something," according to the Daily Herald.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.