(WFIE/WKYT) – A missing persons case that went cold almost two decades has a new lead.
91-year-old Charles Haywood went missing in 2008 and was last believed to be in the Owensboro-area driving his black truck.
Now, officials say that truck has been found off the old U.S. Highway 60 Boat Ramp in Spottsville.
The effort to get Haywood’s truck out of the Green River near Spottsville took hours. Officials say the river conditions including the fast current hampered divers from being able to secure the vehicle. But just before 8:00 Thursday night, Rideout’s Tri-State Towing successfully pulled the vehicle out of the water.
“There was a climactic moment that it finally made it out of the water,” Henderson County Sheriff Chip Stauffer said. “And it brings you a sense of satisfaction.”
A hobbyist diver from Carbondale, Illinois, found Haywood’s truck while searching the area.
“When I dropped down, I hit the truck bed on the passenger side, made my way to the rear tailgate, felt the handle on the tailgate, went down, could feel a ball on the hitch. And then there was a license plate that was very delicate, so I had to use a small object to pry it gently,” search and recovery diver Trey Lombardo said.
At the time Haywood went missing, search teams were unable to find any clues to his whereabouts. Now, officials say the case can finally move forward.
“There’s been family members of Mr. Haywood that have been present throughout the day,” Stauffer said. “And it brings, you know, now they have a sense of closure, but they don’t have any answer because they don’t, the vehicle’s been found. So, obviously there’s questions that they have.”
Questions that the original investigating agency will look to answer from evidence collection efforts.
“Currently, we’re not going to open the doors and look inside. What’s going to happen is we’re strapping the doors and wrapping the doors to secure it. It’s going to be transported to the Owensboro Police Department,” Stauffer said. “It’s their case originally and I thought that it was in our best interest to let Owensboro take control of the vehicle.“
Stauffer says OPD has a secure, indoor facility where crime scene techs can open the doors for evidence collection and processing. He says the truck is a crucial piece of evidence that many thought they would never see.
We will keep in touch with OPD in the coming days and update you when we know more.
