INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Daughter’s Plea Leads To Remains Being Pulled From NC Lake 43 Years After Dad Vanished

By Regina Avalos
Published on: 22:26 PST, Jul 22, 2015

The remains of an Air Force veteran were found and pulled from Lake Rhodiss on Tuesday, and the find closed a case that is 43 years old. According to Daily Mail, the Caldwell County Sheriff found the man’s car in 30 feet of water by using sonar. They did not reveal what led them to search the lake for the man’s car, a Pontiac, but they found the body of Amos Shook inside. The man disappeared on February 19, 1972, at the age of 44.

This discovery now gives closure to his daughter, Pamela Shook Kolbe. The woman now lives in Tennessee, but she reached out to the Caldwell Country Sheriff’s office last month with a plea to reopen her father’s cold case. She wanted to know what happened to the man that helped bring her into this world. She was only 14 at the time of his disappearance.

She now knows that her father died, but there is still a lot of mystery surrounding this man’s death.

According to Caldwell County Sheriff Alan Jones, there is no sign of foul play or suicide. The remains have been taken to the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for a thorough examination and autopsy. That investigation will hopefully uncover more about the man’s death.

Jones did speak with WSOC-TV about the discovery.

“It put some closure on something they’ve been looking forward to for a long time. There’s nothing that indicates [foul play]. Finding somebody that’s still alive that could answer those [questions], will be tough.”

Authorities found the man’s wallet inside the car with the body, so that means the remains likely belong to Amos Shook. An autopsy will confirm that. Jones was surprised by how well preserved the wallet and its contents were after 43 years.

Pamela Shook Kolbe now knows that her father did die when he disappeared back in 1972. In another WSOC report, she shared how she felt after she was told her father was found on Tuesday. It was both a shock and a relief for the woman when she received a call from her cousin. He works for the Caldwell County Sheriff.

“I’ve waited and waited for this. It’s emotional and a relief. [My cousin] said, ‘Pam, we found your daddy’s car.’ It was like I lost all of my blood. It was so overwhelming for me. My parents were separated so it was just the two of us living together. I got home probably around 8 p.m. that day and he never showed back up. The next day when I got up he still wasn’t there and neither was his car. I was scared. If he would have been alive he would have gotten a hold of us. He was a great man, a great daddy. I wonder what did happen. How did his car end up in the lake?”

The answer to that question may never be known. However, the find did surprise people on Tuesday. William Yoder was at Lake Rhodiss during the discovery, and he revealed to NBC News that he has swam in the lake many times over the years, and he never saw the car at the bottom of the lake.

This is not the first time a discovery in a lake has helped close a cold case. A previous Inquisitr report shared in August 2014 reported on the find of two cars in Oklahoma’s Foss Lake. Six bodies were found in the cars, and the discovery helped close not just one cold case, but two open cases on the books.

“The rusty cars were found three feet apart in 12 feet of water near Foss Lake’s main concrete boat dock. A road narrows into the dock, which could explain how the cars ended up in the water. After a sonar test revealed shapes at the bottom of the lake, divers were sent down, where they discovered the cars, covered by mud and rust. Betsy Randolph, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, recalled, ‘It was quite a shock when the first car came out and we saw what was in the driver’s seat.’

Technology is helping the police find more than they could 40 years ago. Back then, there was not sonar to help them search the bottom of lakes. This technology helped bring closure to the Shook family. They plan to bury the man’s remains in the grave they placed for him once his remains are released.

What do you think of this shocking discovery?

[Photo: Liz Foster Twitter]

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