Cold-case divers discover car of missing woman in Texas river, human remains inside

A team of civilian sleuths scouring a Texas river for cold case clues found three cars beneath the water, including one that matches the description of a vehicle belonging to a woman who vanished more than four years ago.

Divers with the group, Adventures with Purpose, were less than an hour into their search beneath Brazos River when they made a significant discovery on Wednesday. Officers with the Waco police department confirmed the 2006 Kia Rio recovered from the depths belonged to Stephanie Torres, who disappeared on Dec. 21, 2017.

Remains were also discovered inside the vehicle but authorities have not yet identified them as Torres, who was 42 when she disappeared.

“Once the vehicle was recovered, investigators found a small bone fragment,” Waco Police spokesperson Cierra Shipley said during a press conference. “The bone fragment and the vehicle are now being processed for evidence.”

The missing mother was last seen alive leaving her home, though she did not bring her phone, wallet or medication with her, police said. She was just days away from celebrating her 43rd birthday.

Amid their initial search for Torres, officers were told the missing woman may have been intoxicated and that she was suicidal.

Adventures with Purpose have helped to solve 16 missing person cold cases since 2019, according to the website.