On August 27, a 1970s model pickup truck was located by the RCMP Underwater Recovery Team (URT) at the bottom of Lake of the Prairies in the RM of Riding Mountain-West. The URT was sent in as a response to a tip that was received seven days prior by the Russell RCMP detachment.
The submerged vehicle was first discovered by an individual while using a fish-finder device. GPS images of the vehicle were provided to the RCMP for further investigation.
The RCMP then began looking back at previous missing person reports in the area. With few details to go on regarding the submerged vehicle, they decided to turn to the URT for help.
The team was led by Corporal Kathryn Ternier and the vehicle was quickly located using boat sonar.
“There was very poor visibility in the water, less than one foot, due to sediment and other natural factors,” says Ternier in a press release. “So we determined that we would deploy a drop sonar to direct our remote-operated vehicle (ROV) to the vehicle. We would not use divers at this stage, as the ROV can perform the same tasks effectively. Even though we adhere to very safe scuba diving practices, there are inherent risks involved. With the availability of technology like the ROV, we can eliminate those risks and better protect our human resources.”
At a depth of about nine feet, the ROV was able to capture images of the pickup truck. From these images, the approximate age of the vehicle could be determined. As well, an image of an intact license plate proved helpful in solving the mystery.
“The fact that the vehicle was from the 70s was really interesting,” says Ternier. “What were we dealing with? What was the story? We had so many questions.”
The RCMP enlisted the help of Manitoba Public Insurance, who ran a trace on the plate. It was last registered in the 1990s.
Further digging led the RCMP to the owner of the vehicle, a resident living in the RM of Tache. They provided the final piece of the puzzle.
During the winter of 1990, the truck broke through the ice when the owner decided to take a shortcut across the lake. Everyone in the vehicle at the time managed to escape to safety.
“Case closed on this one,” says Ternier. “This was a good ending for us. Nobody had been harmed and we got to solve a decades-old mystery.”
Following the incident, the owner indicated to the RCMP that they had returned to the location on several occasions in an attempt to locate the truck but were unsuccessful.
According to Ternier, poor underwater visibility is a common issue in Manitoba’s water systems. For this reason, underwater evidence is often difficult to visually locate. The URT has often been required to implement a search-by-feel tactic.
“The technology the RCMP has to work in an underwater environment allows us as divers to be as safe as possible while ensuring we are providing the most information possible to investigators,” Ternier says. “The RCMP is always looking for ways to innovate and continue our learning when it comes to working under water.”
