YouTuber helps find 'remains of man missing for 10 years'
Bec Oakes
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/FIND DONNIE ERWIN / Camden County MO Sheriff's Office
A YouTuber has helped find the remains of a missing man 10 years after he disappeared.
On December 29, 2013, Donnie Erwin went missing in Camdenton, Missouri after leaving his home to buy some cigarettes.
The former Marine was last seen driving a 2002 Hyundai Elantra in the area. He was 59 years old at the time.
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Now, almost a decade to the day after Erwin vanished, investigators are confident that they've found his remains.
And it's all thanks to one dedicated YouTuber.
James Hinkle — who runs the YouTube channel 'Echo Divers' — took an interest in Erwin's disappearance and set out to find some answers.
Nearly a year into Hinkle's personal search for the veteran, on December 14, he spotted a vehicle submerged in Southern Camden County pond while using freshwater mapping technology.
Upon closer inspection, it was found to be a Hyundai Elantra, the same type of car Erwin had been driving when he went missing.
Two days later, detectives from the Camden County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the license plate matched that of Erwin’s.
On Saturday morning (December 23), cadaver dogs alerted authorities to the presence of human remains in the pond.
Detectives returned with divers on Christmas Eve and recovered the remains, as well as an artificial hip consistent with the one Erwin had.
Erwin was largely wheelchair-dependent after losing his left leg from above the knee.
"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," the sheriff's office said.
His family have been notified of the development.
"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," the department said in a news release.
"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."
Hinkle has also spoken out following the discovery.
He told the Daily Mail: "I'm happy for the family, sad that they're now going to go through the actual grieving process to know that he's deceased but after spending time with the family, they are grieving but happy to know they finally have answers.
"You can't put into words what that means and what that feels like."