STOCKTON, Calif — A car registered to a person missing for 16 years was pulled from the San Joaquin River with a body inside.
The discovery was made Wednesday as the sheriff’s office was pulling cars from the river.
The car had a license plate that deputies were able to trace back to Santa Clara County. The owner has been missing since 2007. The sheriff’s office said identifying the body could take weeks, maybe even months, and their detectives are currently working the case.
Heather Brent, spokesperson for the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, was on site for the operation.
“We weren’t expecting to find a vehicle with a missing person,” said Brent.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office was on a routine operation to remove a stolen red car from the water and was searching for other cars to remove when they came across the body.
“It is registered to a missing person. Now that process is determining is that person found in the vehicle the same person. That's where identification will come into play,” said Brent.
The body was recovered near Eight Mile Road, the same spot where 24-year-old Jacob VanZant was found inside his car in April - two months after he disappeared.
A volunteer dive team discovered his car along with 27 other vehicles in the river.
His mother Joanna VanZant is still looking for answers.
“If you haven’t dealt with something like this, I don’t know how to explain it. I don’t wish it on anybody, and I know we’ve been lucky to get our answers cause there are people out there that have no idea what happened to their loved ones. And I can’t imagine having to live with that every day,” said VanZant.
Ever since Jacob was discovered, his mother has been pushing for more cars to be removed. She went to the river Wednesday when the missing person was found.
“If there are other people down there, I want everyone who has been missing their loved ones, and if their loved ones are down there, to have the answers I’ve been given,” said VanZant.
Investigators are working to positively identify the remains pulled from the river.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office said they want to continue to pull cars from the river, as long as time and resources permit.
“It’s bittersweet. We weren’t expecting to find a missing person vehicle, but hopefully with our detectives and confirming the identity, we can give closure to the family,” said Brent.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said reports of cars going into the San Joaquin River have doubled this year.
Whether the cars are stolen or just accidents, there are no lights or guardrails. There is only one small stop sign in the area to keep drivers from heading straight into the water.
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