United States: Human remains were discovered by detectives and cadaver dogs in a Missouri pond this Sunday. A few days before, a missing car was also found submerged in the water of the same pond.
The missing person mystery
A man named Donnie Erwin went missing ten years ago on December 29, 2013, in Camden County, located in the Ozarks, Missouri. The found bodily remains are said to have belonged to him as per investigators, in the official statement on Monday, CBS News reported.
Donnie was last seen driving a silver 2002 Hyundai Elantra. Erwin, who was 59 when he went missing, was 5 feet, 8 inches tall, with brown eyes and brown hair, as per the missing person bulletin. He was wearing a blue coat, blue jeans, and gray loafers when last seen.
Erwin was missing his left leg above the knee and had a scar on his left arm running from his elbow to his wrist. The missing person bulletin for Erwin noted that he might be using crutches.
How did the findings take place?
The car was pulled from Southern Camden County Pond after a YouTuber contacted police on December 16.
The Youtuber, James Hinkle, had taken an interest in the Erwin missing person case and started then an independent search. Earlier this month, he contacted the owner of the property after his drone detected a submerged car in the water. Hinkle then contacted the Camden County Sheriff’s Office on December 16 and made a report about the findings, CBS News reported.
Hinkle said, “I’m now at a point in my life that I can volunteer to help others search for their missing loved ones,” he further added, “As the father of a US Marine, I strongly believe that we should serve those who served for us. When I found out that Donnie was a veteran and lived an hour and a half from my home in Clinton, Missouri, I knew I could help with the search,” as per NBC News report.
Investigators then were able to pull out Erwin’s submerged Hyundai from the pond and continued searching the pond and the surrounding areas for more findings.
Cadaver dogs alerted detectives on Sunday about the presence of human remains in the pond, said a statement from the Camden County Sheriff’s Office. On Christmas Eve, on Monday, detectives with divers recovered human remains and an artificial hip consistent with the one Erwin had.
As per the CBS News report, forensic pathologists would be examining the remains to make a final determination. However, the investigators are confident that the remains and the artificial hip belonged to Erwin.