Stolen truck with human remains found ‘buried deep’ in muddy river, Illinois cops say

A pickup truck reported stolen years ago was recently found submerged in a river, Illinois police said, with “suspected” human remains inside.

The truck, stolen in 2017, was discovered sunken in the Mississippi River, near a boat ramp in East Moline, the East Moline Police Department said in a Sept. 18 news release.

“The vehicle appeared to have been in this location for a long time as it was buried deep in the mud,” police said.

A volunteer diving organization, the Big River Rescue and Recovery Team, notified police of the truck’s location at about 3 p.m. Sept. 15, according to the department.

But it wasn’t until the pickup was pulled to shore that police realized they had much more than a missing vehicle on their hands.

“The vehicle was removed from the river and found to be a pick-up truck that was reported stolen out of East Moline in 2017. Upon closer inspection of the vehicle, suspected human remains were observed inside,” police said.

Authorities are working to determine whom the remains belonged to.

Illinois State Police were also at the scene and are assisting in the investigation, according to the department, which added that “examination and identification of the human remains are pending.”

It’s unclear how the truck, which seemingly went undetected for years, was finally discovered.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources discovered the vehicle, Chief Jeff Ramsey told McClatchy News in an email, though it’s unclear how the agency learned its location.

McClatchy has reached out to DNR for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.

East Moline police are asking anyone with information to contact them at 309-752-1555.

East Moline is a roughly 160-mile drive west from Chicago.

This story was originally published September 19, 2024 at 12:13 PM with the headline "Stolen truck with human remains found ‘buried deep’ in muddy river, Illinois cops say."