Long Island, New York – A dive team uncovered human remains inside a barnacle-covered car submerged underwater at a Long Island beach — a discovery that may be tied to a 15-year-old missing persons case.
The Discovery of the Chrysler PT Cruiser
Dan Pritchard and his diving partner Bill McIntosh, known for their work in searching for missing persons across the globe, discovered the remains inside a submerged Chrysler PT Cruiser at Cedar Beach in Mt. Sinai on Monday.
This prompted an investigation by the Suffolk County Police.
The divers believe the remains may belong to Long Island native Robert Long, who went missing in December 2010 at the age of 62. Long had been on a trip to a local liquor store in a vehicle matching the description of the one found.
Diving for Answers
“It’s obviously a great relief when you identify the vehicle that you’re looking for,” said Pritchard. “It is satisfying to know that we can give — hard as the answers are — to the family.”
Using kayaks equipped with side-scan sonar, Pritchard and McIntosh were able to search the waters.
Cedar Beach was the first location on their list, and after hours of searching, they found what appeared to be human bones inside the car. They immediately called the police, who conducted their own dive.
Police Involvement and Investigation
Suffolk County Police recovered the car by lifting it out of the water with a crane after confirming the human remains.
“We started this morning with the Marine Bureau divers going into the water at low tide,” the Suffolk police said. “They examined the interior of the vehicle and tried to recover whatever they could from within the vehicle.”
Although the remains have not been officially identified yet, the Suffolk County Medical Examiner will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death and the identity of the remains.
“We suspect this driver to be a missing person,” said Detective Lt. Kevin Beyrer. “We made a courtesy notification to the family, but we have not definitively made any sort of identification.”
Read Also: Body of Missing Pennsylvania Woman Found in Husband’s Truck, Police Confirm
Looking for More Missing People
Pritchard and McIntosh are continuing their search for sunken vehicles up and down the East Coast, including several locations on Long Island. They believe their efforts could lead to the recovery of up to 50 missing people’s remains.
The discovery at Cedar Beach marked the third vehicle they have pulled up during this trip, and the 16th for McIntosh since joining the efforts in 2020.
McIntosh shared his emotional response: “When you find a person, you bring them home and you’re able to close a chapter in another person’s life, a family’s life. We give them hope.”
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