FINAL DESTINATION

Google Earth Uncovers Submerged Car, Skeleton of Person Missing for 22 Years

The car was discovered at the bottom of a pond in a South Florida gated community.

The skeletal remains of a man missing for 22 years were discovered after someone noticed what appeared to be a submerged car on Google Earth. When authorities came to investigate at the gated community in Wellington, Florida, they found a 1994 Saturn SL at the bottom of a pond in the backyard of resident Barry Fay. Inside, authorities discovered the remains of William Earl Moldt, who was last heard from in 1997. “The vehicle’s exterior was heavily calcified and was obviously in the water for a significant amount of time,” the Sheriff’s Office said. The community where Fay’s house now stands was only under construction at the time of Moldt’s disappearance.

“I called the former owner of my house and asked if she knew about this,” Fay told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “She was shocked.” According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, Moldt, then 40, was driving home from a night club around 9:30 p.m. when he disappeared.