Heartbreaking footage captures moment dive team discover the body of missing 24-year-old man
Topics: California, News, US News, YouTube
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: Adventures With Purpose/YouTube
Topics: California, News, US News, YouTube
The moment a mom received the devastating news that her missing son's body had been found was caught on camera in heartbreaking footage.
In February 2023, 24-year-old Jacob VanZant was reported missing by his family after failing to return to his home in Stockton, California.
VanZant was last seen at restaurant in downtown Lodi to pick up a takeout order he'd placed after work.
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His family and police appealed for information on his whereabouts, but to no avail.
It wasn't until a few months later when dive team Adventures With Purpose stepped in that progress was made.
The team took focused their search on the Little Potato Slough part of the San Joaquin River and went on to discover VanZant's 2004 Honda Pilot around 150 feet offshore, CBS News reported at the time.
Inside the recovered vehicle was a body which was later confirmed to be that of VanZant.
The Adventures With Purpose team document a lot of their searches on their YouTube channel. The moment Jared Leisek, who is no longer with the diving team, found VanZant was recorded.
After diving into the water, Leisek put his head above the water and said: "It is 100 percent the way we thought. It is Jacob's car. That is Jacob [in the car]. All of the windows are up and Jacob was doing everything he could to escape."
Getting out of the water, Leisek proceeded to call VanZant's mom to give her the news.
Understandably his mom was devastated and broke down in tears on the phone as Leisek asked her what steps she'd like him to take next.
Ultimately Lodi Police Department was called to recover the body and vehicle.
Speaking after the discovery, Lodi police Sgt. Matt Latino said: "At this point, we can confirm that it did appear to be some sort of accident.
"Whether or not it was intentional, or whether or not intoxicants were involved, are currently up in the air."
Reportedly, VanZant had consumed four Long Island iced tea cocktails before getting behind the wheel.
It isn't thought a cause of death was ever publicly revealed.
Adventures With Purpose's find came after they discovered another missing person in 2022.
Teenager Kiely Rodney had been missing for two weeks before her SUV was discovered in the Prosser Creek Resevoir.
Like VanZant, the 16-year-old girl's body was found in the sunken vehicle.
Her cause of death was later determined as a result of drowning.