YouTuber helps find man missing since 2013, locates human remains in Missouri pond: Police

Sarah Al-Arshani, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read
6

Investigators found human remains in a Missouri pond on Sunday, just days after discovering the car of a man who went missing 10 years ago thanks to the help of a Youtuber.

Detectives from the Camden County Sheriff's office believe the remains belong to Donnie Erwin who was last seen on the morning of Dec. 29, 2013, when he was 59 years old. They also recovered an artificial hip consistent with the one Erwin had.

His silver 2002 Hyundai Elantra with the Missouri license plate MK6-E3P was recovered on Dec. 16 in the Southern Camden County pond. After a week of searching, cadaver dogs alerted them to possible remains in the center of the pond on Saturday. The next day, divers located the remains.

"While a forensic pathologist will have to examine the remains to determine for certain if they are indeed those of Mr. Erwin, investigators are confident the hip and remains belong to him," the sheriff's department said.

Remains that investigators believe belong to Donnie Erwin were recovered from a private pond in Missouri on Sunday. Erwin was last seen in December 2013.
Remains that investigators believe belong to Donnie Erwin were recovered from a private pond in Missouri on Sunday. Erwin was last seen in December 2013.

YouTuber helps authorities locate missing man

Officials said they received a call about the breakthrough in the decades-old case from Youtuber James Hinkle who was independently investigating Erwin's disappearance.

Hinkle, a local videographer who operates the YouTube channel Echo Divers, was flying his drone when he noticed a submerged vehicle on a private pond, the sheriff's department said. The Youtuber was searching the area for clues on Erwin's disappearance.

The videographer then contacted the property owner and asked to search the pond. After searching the area by foot and kayak, Hinkle found "a light-colored submerged passenger car in the pond."

That prompted the property owner to contact police. Police have since updated Erwin's family on the recovery.

"All of us at the Camden County Sheriff's Office who have investigated this case for 10 years are elated at the recovery and overjoyed with the closure we know this brings to the family. This development would not have been possible without the assistance of countless volunteers throughout the years. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you all,"

Detectives recovered the 2002 silver Hyundai Elantra that belonged to Donnie Erwin out of a private pond on December 16. Erwin has been missing since December 2013.
Detectives recovered the 2002 silver Hyundai Elantra that belonged to Donnie Erwin out of a private pond on December 16. Erwin has been missing since December 2013.

Youtuber reopens 20 year old case: Diver finds 1998 Pontiac belonging to missing Tennessee teen, reopening decades-old cold case

Internet sleuths helping solve cases

This isn't the first time a Youtuber or online content creator has helped solve a missing person case. In December 2021, YouTuber Jeremy Beau Sides discovered a 1998 Pontiac Grand Am that belonged to one of two teenagers who went missing in April 2000.

Investigators then found remains in the car. For years, police had no new evidence in the disappearance of Erin Foster, 18, and Jeremy Bechtel, 17, in Sparta, Tennessee.

Several Youtubers have also helped crack old cases with the help of groups like Adventures With Purpose, an Oregon-based underwater sonar search and recovery dive team that claims to have helped solve 29 cases since 2019.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: YouTuber helps find human remains of missing Missouri man: Police