Body of Missing Man Found on Google Maps

The remains of a Florida man who went missing two decades ago have been found in a submerged car that was visible on Google Maps.

BBC News reports that William Moldt was reported missing from Lantana, Florida, on November 7, 1997, after he didn’t return home from a nightclub. Police launched a missing person case on 40-year-old Moldt, which went cold.

On August 28 of this year, police were called to investigate a car found in a pond in Moon Bay Circle, Wellington. The vehicle was pulled from the pond and the remains discovered inside were positively identified as those of Moldt. The car was reportedly spotted by a former resident in the area after “doing a Google search,” the individual then contacted a current resident of Moon Bay Circle to point out the vehicle. The current resident confirmed that they could indeed see a car in the pond and contacted the police.

The Charley Project, an online database of cold cases in the United States, stated in its report that the: “vehicle had plainly [been] visible on a Google Earth satellite photo of the area since 2007, but apparently no-one had noticed it until 2019.” Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office told the BBC that Moldt likely lost control of his vehicle and drove into the pond.

During the initial investigation into his disappearance, there was “no evidence of that occurring” according to the police department, but a shift in water appears to have revealed the vehicle. Police spokesperson Therese Barbera said: “You can’t determine what happened that many years ago, what transpired. All we know is that he went missing off the face of the Earth, and now he’s been discovered.”