Human remains pulled from San Joaquin County waters are those of person missing since 2007, sheriff says
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY — Human remains belonging to a person missing since 2007 were discovered in a vehicle that was pulled from the water in San Joaquin County, authorities said Wednesday.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office said the finding happened sometime between 4 and 5:30 p.m. near a levee along 8 Mile Road and Empire Tract Road
The remains were determined to be the missing person out of Santa Clara County after investigators ran the license plate of the vehicle. The identity of the person was not yet released.
It happened during a training operation done with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office that involved multiple vehicles and garbage being pulled from the water. The other cars and debris are not part of an active investigation.
"Community members report there were vehicles and they had seen them at low tide and so we were trying to get them out," said San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Heather Brent.
The circumstances behind how the car got into the water with the remains inside are still a mystery.
But San Joaquin County officials say Eight Mile Road can be a dangerous road and has a history of car crashes, some of them ending up in the water.
"The second vehicle we pulled out was a reported accident where a young girl had crashed into the water, and she was able to make it out safely but they weren't able to locate that vehicle at that time," Brent said.
The sheriff's office said they still need to further confirm the identity of the deceased with a coroner's office, though they believe the remains are, in fact, the missing person.
After that, the next of kin will be notified.
