Teen diver who filmed submerged car on his GoPro camera helps police find body of woman who went missing 27 years ago
BRITISH COLUMBIA: A Canadian teenager helped the police close a missing person case. He had found a submerged car in a lake close to his vacation home with the body of a woman who had been missing for 27 years.
Max Werenka, 13, had been out on Griffin Lake in Revelstoke, British Columbia when he noticed what appeared to be a car. The overturned car was found around 15 feet deep in the murky lake. Werenka then alerted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) who arranged a dive team which arrived a few days later.
On August 21, Werenka acted as the police guide and dove into the water with his GoPro camera and confirmed that it was a car. When the RCMP returned with their dive team, they were shocked to find the body of a missing woman. The woman was identified as 69-year-old Janet Farris from Vancouver Island.
As reported by CTV News, Werenka said, "I always like to question things. We took them out in our boat, showed them the area where it was." His mother, Nancy Werenka, added that they were devastated to hear that someone had been in the vehicle. Cpl. Thomas Blakney said, "They were able to dive down, obtain a license plate. It came back to a missing person case back in 1992."
Janet Farris vanished after she was driving alone to a wedding in Alberta. The police are of the opinion that she may have plunged into the lake after she swerved suddenly trying to avoid an animal. She likely lost control of her car and no foul play has been suspected in Farris' death. The 1980s black Honda was then hauled back to the surface. It had been found around 10 feet away from the TransCanada highway.
The RCMP was full of praise for Werenka for his 'outstanding' detective work. Cpl. Blakney said, "The RCMP will probably be looking at this guy down the road for potential employment." Farris' family has now finally been able to get some closure after many years of mourning her loss. Her 62-year-old son George Farris revealed that it was the worst thing not to know what happened. "Given a sad situation, it's the best of all outcomes," George said.