Man Stumbles on Vehicle Submerged While Using Google Earth, Helps Solve a Decade-Old Mysterious Disappearance Case
In 2019, a decade-old mystery reached its resolution most unexpectedly. A vigilant civilian gave investigators information that he acquired through technology and brought a conclusion to a case, stated WPTV. The whole incident took place in Wellington.
Officials were called to the 3700 block of Moon Bay Circle in August to investigate a retention pond by a civilian living in a house near it. The previous inhabitant of the house was conducting a Google Earth search of the area and observed what they thought to be a car in the pond. They contacted the present inhabitant, who then used his drone to monitor the pond. He also noticed what appeared to be a submerged car. Thereafter he contacted the sheriff's office.
The deputies looked into the pond and confirmed the present resident's suspicions. Officials noted that the vehicle's exterior had undergone extreme calcification. This implied that the car had been underwater for a long time. The team took out the vehicle and after opening it found skeletal remains. Thereafter the case was handed to the Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators. They sent all the collected evidence to the Medical Examiner's Office for processing.
In September the remains were identified to be of William Earl Moldt. The man reportedly went missing on November 8, 1997, and since then there have been no updates regarding his whereabouts. At the time of his disappearance, Moldt was 40 years old. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) claimed that the man was last seen leaving a nightclub at about 11 p.m. As per testimonies, he did not appear to be intoxicated and exited the area in his vehicle. Investigation uncovered that the man was not a frequent drinker in his personal life, but had enjoyed several drinks that day, stated the outlet.
At around 9:30 p.m. that night Moldt had contacted his girlfriend, informing her that he would soon come home. This was the last communication, the man had with anyone. The resident who informed the Sheriff's Department was Barry Fay, and the car was later identified to be a Saturn, stated The Palm Beach Post. Fay was surprised when he got to know about the remnants inside the car. He initially thought he had just uncovered "some junked-up old car." The area looked completely different when Moldt went missing. There were no barriers in place to supposedly prevent Mold's car from going into the water. Fay's home along with other houses came into existence in 1998. Hence chances of civilians informing about any accidents in the area also go down.
Moldt weighed around 225 pounds and was 6 feet tall when he went missing. He reportedly had sandy hair and brown eyes. Investigators were told that the man was wearing, a white button-down oxford shirt with stripes, dress shoes, a black belt, a tie, a 14-karat solid gold nugget ring, and a Gruen men’s watch with a gold band when he disappeared. There is no confirmation from authorities about the recovery of these items, according to the outlet.