A Florida dive team helped a sheriff’s office pull a car from a retention pond Friday. The 2006-missing man’s car had human bones.
A Mitsubishi SUV was found in a retention pond on the 200 block of Old Oak Circle in Palm Harbor, Florida, late Thursday night by a group of volunteers using sonar search and recovery equipment. The license plate matched the vehicle of Robert Helphrey, who vanished in 2006.
Florida Officials Investigate Helphrey’s Disappearance
Friday morning, deputies towed the vehicle out of the pond. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that human bones were discovered in the vehicle, it was reported that efforts are being made to identify the bodies by the Medical Examiner’s office.
The vehicle belonged to the man Helphrey’s family and friends wish to be remembered as a great father, son, and Desert Storm veteran.
Deputies say they last saw Helphrey on May 22, 2006, at midnight, when he left Peggy O’Neill’s Bar in Palm Harbor. The bar is approximately six minutes by car from the pond where the vehicle was located. Deputies report that he planned to meet a friend after leaving, but never arrived.
Rumors Surrounding Helphrey’s Disappearance
Helphrey’s former place of employment as a general manager, the Thirsty Marlin, is located directly across the street from Peggy O’Neill’s. Helphrey went to work the day he vanished, according to Brian St. Arnold, a childhood friend and the owner of the Thirsty Marlin. The rumors about Helphrey’s disappearance were put to rest, he said, thanks to Friday’s news.
Friday morning, a member of the Sunshine State Sonar team called St. Arnold.
Volunteer organizations Sunshine State Sonar and Recon Dive Recovery discovered the vehicle. They stated that they search national databases of missing persons for people who may have vanished in Florida with their vehicles.
Ken Fleming of Recon Dive Recovery stated that the organization utilizes underwater sonar equipment, magnets, and other tools.
Fleming said they had been investigating Helphrey’s case for close to a year and had combed through hundreds of bodies of water. During these searches, multiple vehicles have been discovered, he said.
Last week, the team also discovered the remains of a missing teacher in a vehicle in Port Orange, according to Fleming.
Thursday night, according to Fleming, they discovered Helphrey’s vehicle.
The Medical Examiner’s Office is also working to determine the cause of death, according to the sheriff’s office. The investigation is currently active and ongoing.
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