YouTuber Helps Police Locate Remains of Army Veteran Missing Since 2013

A police officer puts 'Do Not Cross' tape on barricades in a file photo. (Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images)

A YouTube investigator has helped police in Camdenton, Missouri, find the remains of an Army veteran who went missing 10 years ago, according to officials.

Detectives from the Camden County Sheriff’s Office believe the remains belong to Donnie Erwin, who went missing from Camdenton in December 2013. Police used cadaver dogs to locate the remains in a Southern Camden County pond and recovered them on Dec. 24.

In a statement, police said they revisited the pond area after YouTuber and freelance videographer and drone pilot James Hinkle reported seeing a vehicle submerged in a small pond on private property while flying his drone earlier in the week.

Police said Mr. Hinkle had been searching for clues regarding Mr. Erwin’s disappearance for years. Mr. Hinkle is part of a scuba diving search and recovery team called Echo Divers, and he documents their investigations into missing persons on his YouTube channel.

“When I found out that Donnie was a veteran and lived an hour and a half from my home in Clinton, Missouri, I knew I could help with the search,” Mr. Hinkle told CNN.

Mr. Hinkle initially contacted police after finding a “light-colored submerged passenger car” in the pond on Dec. 16, officials said.

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Mr. Erwin’s Hyundai Elantra was recovered on the same day, and investigators were able to match and verify the license plate of the submerged vehicle to Mr. Erwin’s missing Hyundai.

Then just days before Christmas, cadaver dogs alerted police to the presence of human remains in the pond, which police then recovered, officials said.

“In addition to human remains, investigators recovered an artificial hip consistent with the one Mr. Erwin had. While a forensic pathologist will have to examine the remains to determine for certain if they are indeed those of Mr. Erwin, investigators are confident the hip and remains belong to him,” police added.

Circumstances Surrounding Disappearance Unclear

Investigators immediately notified Mr. Erwin’s family of the recovery.

“All of us at the Camden County Sheriff’s Office who have investigated this case for ten years are elated at the recovery and overjoyed with the closure we know this brings to the family,” police said. “This development would not have been possible without the assistance of countless volunteers throughout the years. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you all.”

Investigators are still actively working on the case, and the newly recovered vehicle is still being processed.

Mr. Erwin was 59 when he disappeared, according to a missing person bulletin. Police described him as being 5 feet, 8 inches tall, with brown eyes and brown hair. He was also missing his left leg above the knee and had a scar on his left arm from the elbow to the wrist.

At the time of his disappearance, police said he may have been using crutches.

According to the New York Post, Mr. Erwin was also a U.S. Army veteran. It is not yet clear what may have caused his disappearance.

However, in a video posted to his YouTube channel in July, Mr. Hinkle said that Mr. Erwin was driving to a local shop to buy cigarettes on the morning of his disappearance but had failed to take his glasses with him.

It was also still dark when he left his home between 6 and 7 a.m., he noted.

“It’s dark, he can’t see as well—could this have been an accident? Could it be that simple?” the YouTuber said.