Remains of man who mysteriously vanished 43 years ago are found in car pulled out of lake

Mystery: Air Force veteran Amos Shook disappeared without a trace in 1972 aged 44

The remains of a man who vanished 43 years ago have been found inside a car pulled up from a lake by police.
The skeleton is believed to be that of 44-year-old Air Force veteran Amos Shook, who mysteriously disappeared in 1972.
Detectives reviewing the decades-old missing persons case trawled Lake Rhodhiss, in Caldwell County, after new information came about from the man's daughter.
They pulled up a decaying 1968 Pontiac Catalina, which was filled with mud and had its roof caved in.
Inside they found skeletal remains along with a wallet and identification cards belonging to Mr Shook.

 

Discovery: Detectives reviewing the missing persons case pulled up a 1968 Pontiac Catalina from the bottom of a lake

Although the body is yet to be formally identified, Caldwell County Sheriff’s Capt. B.J. Fore said it was highly likely they had found Mr Shook.
He told the Charlotte Observer: “This case was so old we didn’t even have a report on it.
“We were able to find skeletal remains, which led us to believe they belong to the man missing for 43 years.
“We won’t know for sure if the remains belong to Mr. Shook until the medical examiner can confirm the identity. But we believe it’s him.”
Searches resumed for the missing forces veteran last month when his daughter approached investigators with a newly discovered newspaper article and asked them to look again.

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Remains: Inside the decaying vehicle they found human remains and a wallet and identity cards belonging to Mr Shook

A specialist dive team using sonar technology to scan the lake discovered the car under 30 feet of water.
Divers from the SBI and North Catawba rescue team were able to hook the car to a crane which hauled the Pontiac to the surface.
Although Mr Shook appears to have finally been found, the reason behind his death and his discovery in the lake remains a mystery.
Capt. Fore said the lead detective in the case was interviewing family members to try and establish more information around the old case.

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Mystery: Police say they are confident the remains are of Mr Shook but the reason for his disappearance remains unknown

He said: “Unless the medical examiner says the autopsy shows some type of foul play, we may never know what happened
“We don’t know his state of mind, and most of his family are probably in their 80s now. But we’re glad to have brought the family some closure.”