On Tuesday, Investigators with the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations along with the assistance of the North Catawba Fire and Rescue conducted a vehicle recovery operation at the Lake Rhodhiss Boat Access located on Waterworks Road.
Investigators with the assistance of the North Catawba Fire and Rescue Dive Team were able to retrieve a Green 1968 Pontiac Catalina from approximately 30 feet of water. The 1968 Pontiac Catalina matches the car belonging to an individual that was reported missing to the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office on February 19, 1972.
Investigators processed the car on scene and were able to locate human remains contained in the vehicle. The remains will be transferred to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy and identification. Investigators and Dive Team Members utilizing advances in sonar technology were able to revisit leads developed in the Missing Person case from 1972 to locate the vehicle which lead to the discovery.
There are no signs of foul play at this point in the investigation.
“We found a wallet and some ID cards in it. It amazed us how preserved that stuff was,” Caldwell County Sheriff Alan Jones said at a news conference.
The search for Shook resumed after his daughter asked last month that they take another look. But few records from the original investigation were left when investigators searched their files, Jones said.
Officials didn’t say what led them to the lake.
“We take a serious approach to all case reported to the Sheriff’s Office and never consider a case closed until the truth is known”. Sheriff Alan C. Jones.
