The case of a father who went missing in 1972 and never returned may have been solved this week when authorities pulled a car containing human remains from a North Carolina lake.
Amos Shook was 44 when he disappeared more than 43 years ago. The search resumed after his daughter visited the Caldwell County sheriff's department recently with a newspaper clipping about her father.
Pamela Shook Kolbe asked the fire department to explore Lake Rhodiss, about a mile from Shook's home in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains.
Aided by sonar equipment, authorities on Monday found a car in 30 feet of water. The next day, they raised a decrepit, green 1968 Pontiac Catalina, the same model that Shook, an Air Force retiree, drove. The roof had caved in, but all the windows remained closed.
Caldwell County Sheriff Alan Jones said contents of the wallet found with the body inside the vehicle suggested that they were Shook's. There were no signs of foul play, according Jones' office.
"I've waited and waited for this," Kolbe told WSOC-TV. She was 14 and the only person who lived with her father when he went missing. "It's emotional and a relief."
The coroner's office will attempt to confirm that it was Shook's remains inside the Pontiac. It may never be discovered why Shook's car sank into the lake.