Google Earth Leads to Remains of Missing Florida Man in Lake
Share
WELLINGTON, Fla. — It took 22 years, but a missing man’s remains were finally found thanks to someone who zoomed in on his former Florida neighborhood with Google satellite images and noticed a car submerged in a lake, authorities said.
The skeletal remains were of William Moldt, who went missing in 1997 at the age of 40, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Teri Barbera said on Thursday that a previous resident of the Grand Isles neighborhood in Wellington, Florida, was checking the neighborhood on Google Earth when he zoomed into the lake and saw what looked like a car .
The former resident contacted a current homeowner, who used a drone to confirm it was a white car on the edge of the pond behind his house. The man called the sheriff’s office on Aug. 28, and deputies later arrived to find the white sedan’s exterior “heavily calcified.” After they got the car out, they found the skeletal remains inside.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System says Moldt went to a nightclub in November 1997 but did not appear intoxicated as he left alone before midnight. He had called his girlfriend from the club saying he would return to their Lantana home soon.
The subdivision was under construction when Moldt went missing, but the pond was already there. Barry Fay, whose home is near where the car was found, told The Palm Beach Post that he had never noticed anything from the shoreline.
“Never did I believe there would be a 22-year-old dead body,” Fay told the newspaper.
The skeletal remains were of William Moldt, who went missing in 1997 at the age of 40, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Teri Barbera said on Thursday that a previous resident of the Grand Isles neighborhood in Wellington, Florida, was checking the neighborhood on Google Earth when he zoomed into the lake and saw what looked like a car .
The former resident contacted a current homeowner, who used a drone to confirm it was a white car on the edge of the pond behind his house. The man called the sheriff’s office on Aug. 28, and deputies later arrived to find the white sedan’s exterior “heavily calcified.” After they got the car out, they found the skeletal remains inside.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System says Moldt went to a nightclub in November 1997 but did not appear intoxicated as he left alone before midnight. He had called his girlfriend from the club saying he would return to their Lantana home soon.
The subdivision was under construction when Moldt went missing, but the pond was already there. Barry Fay, whose home is near where the car was found, told The Palm Beach Post that he had never noticed anything from the shoreline.
“Never did I believe there would be a 22-year-old dead body,” Fay told the newspaper.
Trump Picks Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to Be Ambassador to Israel
Politics /
53 mins ago
Speaker Mike Johnson Says Republicans Are ‘Ready to Deliver’ on Trump’s Agenda
Politics /
2 hours ago
Wall Street Slips as the Trump Trade Cools
Economy /
2 hours ago
49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan Says Players’ Sideline Spat Has Been ‘Squashed’
SF 49ers /
2 hours ago
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Will Have Season-Ending Surgery on Torn Hamstring
Sports /
2 hours ago
Judge Delays Ruling on Whether to Scrap Trump’s Conviction in Hush Money Case
Courts /
2 hours ago
Merced’s Iconic Laura Fountain Returns to Splendor With $300K Restoration
A landmark from days of old when Merced was known as “Fountain City” is back, fully restored for new generations to appreciate.
...
Local /
39 mins ago
Categories
Latest
Videos
Local /
39 mins ago
Merced’s Iconic Laura Fountain Returns to Splendor With $300K Restoration
Politics /
53 mins ago
Trump Picks Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to Be Ambassador to Israel
Politics /
2 hours ago
Speaker Mike Johnson Says Republicans Are ‘Ready to Deliver’ on Trump’s Agenda
Video /
6 days ago