No body found in excavation of Northbrook backyard following tip in 1982 cold case

No human remains were found during the excavation of a Northbrook backyard following a tip in a nearly 40-year-old cold case.

Authorities began digging last Tuesday in their renewed search for Linda Seymour, who went missing in the suburb in the winter of 1982. The North Regional Major Crimes Task Force dug to a depth of 9 feet.

“Seymour’s family has been notified that no remains were found. Following the results of this effort, there are no other investigative avenues at this time,” police said in a statement Sunday.

Police said interviews conducted by Northbrook police detectives led investigators to dig up a section of the yard at the home in the 1400 block of Orchard Lane. Investigators removed a wooden shed and dug where it had been.

Linda Seymour lived in the home before she went missing at age 35. Her son James Seymour Jr. lives in the home now.

Neighbors said Linda’s husband, James Seymour Sr., lived at the home until he died in 2009. The couple had two sons together. James Seymour Sr. later remarried and had more children.

Linda Seymour’s disappearance was known among neighbors, most of whom moved in well after she went missing. What was behind her disappearance was a mystery to them, but they hadn’t assumed foul play.

Contributing: Mitch Dudek