Althouse: "Google Earth uncovers car in pond — and skeleton of driver missing for 22 years."

September 16, 2019

"Google Earth uncovers car in pond — and skeleton of driver missing for 22 years."

Reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Here's the Google Earth image:

27 comments:

AP said...: My biggest take-away was that the neighbor is being stalked by her ex-husband, who no longer lives in the area. Otherwise what is he doing poring over satellite imagery of his ex-wife's neighborhood that would lead to this discovery?; 9/16/19, 11:47 AM
madAsHell said...: It has to be said......Florida man.; 9/16/19, 11:56 AM
madAsHell said...: Wow! What a jumbled news story! The story references someone missing for 18 months, and for 22 years. I can't believe they conflate stories to save space for advertising.; 9/16/19, 12:02 PM
Curious George said...: OMG I just Googled Map'd my neighbors house and there are three kids in his pool!; 9/16/19, 12:09 PM
Fernandinande said...: 26.625016, -80.227625; 9/16/19, 12:13 PM
Michael K said...: There was a case years ago where a writer vanished on a trip home. A guy got interested in the story and traced the path that driver must have taken. He found the car and driver in an irrigation canal, then was accused of somehow being involved in the crash.; 9/16/19, 12:24 PM
Wince said...: "We have a pond in the back. We have a pool... and a pond. A pond would be good for you."; 9/16/19, 12:28 PM
Yancey Ward said...: I wonder when he was first reported missing? Wouldn't an investigation have explored the routes he might have taken home and at least considered the possibility that he went into the water? I guess the lesson is this- don't drink and dive.; 9/16/19, 12:33 PM
Paul Ciotti said...: I wonder how he knew that was a car. I would have thought algae or pond scum.; 9/16/19, 12:44 PM
Lloyd W. Robertson said...: madAsHell beat me to it: Two Florida men, one dead and one alive, brought together by new technology; 9/16/19, 12:51 PM
Big Mike said...: Damned article is apparently behind a paywall; 9/16/19, 1:01 PM
Jaq said...: Nobody swims in natural fresh water in South Florida.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/sunrise/fl-sunrise-car-canal-missing-persons-case-20150122-story.html

http://archive.naplesnews.com/news/crime/video-human-bones-found-in-minivan-pulled-out-of-alligator-alley-canal-ep-395320818-343402252.html

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-03-03-9703030167-story.html

Nobody goes into the water because that’s a good way to end up in a “Florida man killed by alligator” story.; 9/16/19, 1:46 PM
Mark said...: Didn't we already discuss this? Or was it somewhere else?; 9/16/19, 1:55 PM
Drago said...: Google Earth "discovering" cars in ponds.

Guns shooting people.

Planes flying into buildings.

I wonder what would happen if humans were to take control of these things?; 9/16/19, 2:11 PM
Calypso Facto said...: Ted Kennedy could not be reached for comment.; 9/16/19, 2:12 PM
James K said...: I think we need another remake of the movie "Blow Up." Now involving drones.; 9/16/19, 2:19 PM
alan markus said...: This kind of thing happens quite frequently. What makes it newsworthy is that it was found due to Google Maps.

How about this case: Identified: Three Oklahoma teens missing 40 years, found at the bottom of a lake

Kids in a 1969 Camaro disappeared in 1970. Car found in lake, in 12 feet of water, 50 feet from end of boat ramp.

Also found when car was retrieved: It was found alongside a 1950s Chevrolet. Strangely, that car was connected with an earlier but supposedly unrelated missing persons case. It contained the bodies of Cleburn Hammack, 42, John Alva Porter, 69 and Nora Marie Duncan, 58, who disappeared in 1969 after they stopped to ask for help getting their car started. They were all from nearby towns.

Identified: Three Oklahoma teens missing 40 years, found at the bottom of a lake; 9/16/19, 2:20 PM
Kylos said...: Paul, it's much more obvious at Google Maps than in that image.
Google Maps; 9/16/19, 2:51 PM
Calypso Facto said...: "Kids in a 1969 Camaro disappeared in 1970."

What kids have a brand new Camaro?; 9/16/19, 3:06 PM
SeanF said...: madAsHell: Wow! What a jumbled news story! The story references someone missing for 18 months, and for 22 years. I can't believe they conflate stories to save space for advertising.

They didn't.

The photograph of the car being lifted out of the water is a 20-year-old photo (apparently, they didn't get any photos of the more recent car recovery). The text about the 18-month-missing man, despite its length and detail, is nothing more than the caption for the photo.; 9/16/19, 3:43 PM
daskol said...: That Google discovered this gives weight to Peter Thiel's claims they're a security threat. Whether this was AI or autistic/spectrumy people, they've got scary signal intelligence and lots of dots to connect.; 9/16/19, 4:43 PM
Michael said...: Calypso said:
What kids have a brand new Camaro?

1969 was the height of American wealth. Yea, a kid coming out of high school could get a factory gig and soon have enough for a down payment on a Camaro, then have the loan paid off in three years (back then the maximum for car loans was 36 months).

I should know. My sister graduated high school in 67. An Associates Degree and a gig as a production manager at a food processor was enough for her to buy a brand new 1969 Camaro, which she had until the mid 90s when a runaway truck slammed into it while parked.; 9/16/19, 4:55 PM
Calypso Facto said...: "a brand new 1969 Camaro, which she had until the mid 90s when a runaway truck slammed into it while parked"

Such a shame. Thanks for the reminder on car pricing -- I should have remembered. My grandmother had a '66 Impala SS, and when I found the original invoice in the glovebox, I couldn't believe how little it had cost.; 9/16/19, 5:24 PM
Leland said...: Thanks Kylos for the Google Map image; because I've done photo analysis before and I wasn't seeing it in the news article. The best I could say is there was a bit of shine off the beach, which could have been anything.; 9/16/19, 6:19 PM
PresbyPoet said...: Inflation: A 1966 dollar would purchase the same as $7.90 today. This is based on the CPI.; 9/16/19, 6:28 PM
Curious George said...: Milt Pappas, Cubs pitcher (among other teams) wife went missing and was found five years later in a pond.; 9/16/19, 6:29 PM
Nichevo said...: daskol said...
That Google discovered this gives weight to Peter Thiel's claims they're a security threat. Whether this was AI or autistic/spectrumy people, they've got scary signal intelligence and lots of dots to connect.

9/16/19, 4:43 PM

Good thing Sauron didn't have Google Maps!; 9/16/19, 7:53 PM