Adventures with a Purpose, an independent dive team, says it has helped solve 19 missing-persons cases. The group originally organized environmental cleanup dives before turning to searching for missing people. The car, a blue and gray 2006 Kia Rio, was found in the cold, murky waters of the Brazos River in Brazos Park East about an hour after the dive began. Doug Bishop from AWP spoke to the media about Jeds case and said: We came into this like we come into all cases. Leisek believes that all law enforcement agencies are doing everything they can to close cold cases and help find the love ones of families desperate for answers. It was Utah Judge Mandy Larsen who denied Leisek's motion to dismiss the charge of rape on March 8, per KCEN-TV. After being missing for over 23 years, with the assistance of AWP and Chaos dive teams we were able to find my motherand my 22 month old sister. She wrote. Careys sister spoke to Dateline and said that on the day she disappeared, March 17m 1991, Carey went to their father Howards house to do laundry and pick up a paycheck. 11M views, 109K likes, 13K loves, 22K comments, 42K shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Adventures With Purpose: SOLVED 8-Month-Old Missing Person Case (Nicholas Allen) We found 17-year-old Nicholas. The family thought it was possible that Stephanie Torres had decided the pain had been too much and ended her own life, but they hoped they were wrong. They searched a few in September, without success. Officer Garen Bynum, the Waco Police Department spokesperson, said police learned about the extent of Stephanie Torres illness, that she had left her belongings behind and that she might be suicidal a week after her disappearance, affecting the speed and urgency of the initial investigation. Like most things in life, you can argue that one's purpose comes when it's least expected. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2020/12/15/ethan-kazmerzak-body-iowa-man-missing-since-2013-found-oregon-dive-crew-adventures-with-purpose/3902384001/, https://katv.com/news/local/investigators-still-searching-for-leads-in-20-year-old-pope-county-cold-case, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10144641/Car-linked-1998-disappearance-pregnant-Arkansas-mom-toddler-pulled-lake.html, https://www.nalderfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Matthew-Jedediah-Hall?obId=24797852#/celebrationWall, https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/cold-case-spotlight/misfiled-case-carey-mae-parker-remains-under-investigation-27-years-n861781. According to Inquirer accounts at the time of the disappearance, James Amabile wore an implanted insulin pump and could become confused and lose sense of where he was due to low blood sugar. However, Bishop said he believes a huge fraction of missing people is deep down in the countrys waterways. RIDLEY TOWNSHIP, Pa.-After divers from Adventures with Purpose Underwater Dive and Recoveryfound skeletal remainsin a car underwater in Ridley Township, the Delaware County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed it wasJames Amabile, who went missing in 2003. Kiely was found deceased in her vehicle, in 14 feet of water, very close to where she was last seen alive. Bishop is the lead diver and investigator with Adventures with Purpose a group of volunteer divers who travel across the country and look for clues underwater in hopes of cracking missing. Is there a serial killer in Austin, Texas? The names may not ring a bell for many people. It dominated her life, and the medications she took for it caused depression as a side effect, they said. We are thankful to have been a small part of helping bring this 23-year-old case to closure.. That initial trip, to help a family locate Nathan Ashby, would be the very beginning of a newfound purpose Leisek and his team never could have imagined. Adventures With Purpose, a sonar and recovery team based in Oregon, travels the country doing dives to help clean up waters but also to help solve cases. The case also had chilling similarities to that ofKiely Rodni- a missing Truckee,Californiateen whose body was uncovered by Adventures with Purpose in October. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Bodies of two missing teen girls and a registered sex offender among seven people found dead on Oklahoma property, Washington state mom, 25, vanishes after making unsettling 911 call, Ana Walshe feared husband Brian would be imprisoned, planned to leave him days before her death, Missing Oregon mom of 3 found dead outside barn with blunt force trauma to her head. He had called his mother just before this, at 12.15am. Samantha was 19 at the time she disappeared. Careys daughter Brandy spoke to the media about this: They seemed put out by the idea that someone expected them to look for a woman who had been missing for 19 years at that time, Brandy told Dateline. Our hearts are with the Hall family and all those who knew and loved Jed at this time.. The day-to-day and having to live your life not knowing," Douglas said, just hours after being the diver to locate Torres. Laundrie was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head a month later. WACO, Texas A team of citizen cold case sleuths diving in a river Wednesday found a car that matches the description of a vehicle belonging to a woman who disappeared in 2017. They asked the Texas Rangers to do the same. Leisek said his team was tipped off about Stephanie by one of their YouTube subscribers in Central Texas, but it wasn't Bianca or anyone in her family. "His efforts led to a vehicle being discovered underwater here in the city of Portland, Oregon," Bishop told FOX Television Stations. Not knowing is really awful.. Lindsey Davis is a senior producer for NBC News. An Instagram murder - Brandon Clark and Bianca Devins, The Missing, Murdered and Reunited of Runaway Train, Murder by Neglect - the deaths of Lacey Fletcher and Valerie Wallach, UPDATE: 11 year old Gannon Stauch missing from Colorado Springs - remains have been found in Florida, Dr James Craig poisoned his wife Angela to death with cyanide (allegedly), Jenna Van Gelderen and the missing Egyptian tapestry. My father told a constable she was missing, and [that constable] was supposed to have filed [a missing persons report] in 1991 in Hunt County, Patricia told Dateline. I freaked out and called Brandy, Patricia told Dateline. Bishop, 38, is the lead diver and investigator with Adventures with Purpose a group of volunteer divers who travel across the country and look for clues underwater in hopes of cracking missing persons cold cases. This group of divers and YouTubers has helped solve about 20 missing-person cold cases in just a few years. He played soccer for years and was a valuable team player. It is unclear if these emails were mentioned during the recent court hearing for the attempted dismissal of charges. At this particular moment, were just happy that we provided closure, Giampetro said. The men documented their find and then the requests from other families of missing people started pouring in. "In the City of Portland, one car turned into more than 25 cars and we started running into human remains in the vehicles and in finding these cars, we self-taught ourselves how to read sonar and we realize, after solving many of these cases, we can read sonar better than some of these law enforcement agencies.". On October 26, 2021, AWP called the Pope County Sheriff to let them know that they had found a car with human remains inside it. "We decided to take a fall road trip from September to October of 2020 and on that trip we were able to bring two more lost loved ones home," Leisek said and called the feeling of doing so, incredible. "It was at the time that we said, what if we start listening to our viewers that have been reaching out after watching the previous episode telling us about other people across the United States that are missing," Leisek explained. He believes his brother, who was diabetic, had a hectic day, slipped into diabetic shock, and drove straight into the creek after making a wrong turn. Thanks to the location and recovery efforts of a group of divers called Adventures with Purpose, Careys family now has answers and are able to bring her home to be laid to rest properly. Ethans phone was last used at 12.30am on September 15. She was her daddys butterfly. The team behind Adventures with Purpose has captured the attention of millions of social media followers as they work to solve missing person cases. He had competed and won a spot at a summer camp with the Air Force Pararescue. What Happened To Sam? Along with Kiely's case, we discuss the cases of: Ethan Kazmerzak from Iowa. Weve been living without her for the last 27 years, so weve learned to adapt to this hole in our lives, Brandy told Dateline. It was a privilege for the sheriffs office to be able to work with the family and Adventures with Purpose to come one step closer to bringing closure to this case, which has been needed for many years.. According to their website, since 2019, Adventures with Purpose have solved 23 missing person cold cases (I guess 24 now with Kielys case). Its been really hard since there was no physical crime scene to begin with, Sgt. The Hunt County Sheriffs Office will continue to pray for Carey Parkers family to have comfort and closure. The search, which took place at the East Boat Launch of the Brazos Valley, ended in less than an hour when they found Stephanie still inside her 2006 blue Kia. Stephen Amabile and his now-deceased brother, Michal, also walked the creeks in the area, he said. I would like to thank the family of Carey Mae Parker for having the persistence and drive to keep pushing forward to find answers in the disappearance of their family member, Sheriff Terry Jones said in a statement. Once the accusations of rape against Leisek came forward, several members announced theirresignationsin video statements. Its online fame has also spurred requests for help from families or friends of the missing people and from law enforcement. According to the groups website, it has recovered over 100 vehicles and helped solve 19 missing-persons cases since 2019. Pope County Sheriff Shane Jones said, The Pope County Sheriffs Office would like to send our sincere condolences to the family of Samantha Hopper and Courtney Holt. He told Fox 2 Detroit that Adventures with Purpose actually started out as an environmentalist group. Your family just needs time and is there anything else I can do for you?". Doug has told the media that the use of sonar equipment is what separates the group from law enforcement. The group posts its successful searches on its YouTube channel, which has 1.71 million subscribers. Adventures with Purpose began as a fun-filled YouTube page of lost personal items found under the water in the Pacific Northwest. They only take on cases in which they have a high probability of finding a vehicle based on their calculations of circumstances and geography. She was a strong-willed, free-spirited woman who enjoyed spending time on the lake and night driving with her kiddos. To date, Adventures with Purpose has helped close 19 missing person cold cases across the country. But when a family reached out to them in 2019, asking if they might be able to use their skills to help find a missing loved one, Leisek said they had to put their skills to good use. It is believed that Jed left home very early on January 22, 2018. RIDLEY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) On Sunday, avolunteer rescue dive team described the extreme conditions they facedwhile pulling out the body of a man they say went missing more than 18 years ago. In this episode of the True Crime Society Podcast we discuss the recovery of missing people by volunteer team Adventures with Purpose (AWP).Along with Kielys case, we discuss the cases of:Ethan Kazmerzak from Iowa. The department said it conducted multiple searches of databases and looked for recordings of her license plate on highways. Doug Bishop of Adventures with Purpose (left) and Ridley Twp. It was not unusual for her to disappear for two or three days and return. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. While the group still cleans up waterways by removing submerged vehicleson this trip to Nashville, they hauled out 17.5 in three daysthey now prefer to focus on finding lost loved ones and giving families answers. In the aftermath of his disappearance, police helicopters searched the wetlands of the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum. As you can imagine, with pledges seven years after the fact, there wouldve been businesses that pledged that are no longer in business, Staley said. My life got worse a whole lot worse, Jonathan Torres said. I had to do the right thing for my mom.. "Theres no school, really that exists, that teaches sonar," Bishop said, adding that he and the team have had to learn the equipment as they go on missions. "Theres a lot of people that are missing, underwater in America," Bishop said. Did he leave a message, did it not go through, was he going to say something, wasnt he? Sam shared that he had a close counter to danger while scuba diving in July 2021. This thirty-one year old missing person case will now be closed. Last fall, during the group's last tour . DANIEL WILLIAM MCKNIGHT Since then, the group has helped families find closure through its search. The found her vehicle and her remains, along with a bicycle that she had purchased for her sons birthday in Lake Tawakoni.You can read our blog for these cases here - https://truecrimesocietyblog.com/2022/08/24/cases-solved-by-adventures-with-purpose/You can see the Adventures With Purpose website here - https://adventureswithpurpose.com/This episode is sponsored by:Java House - Cold brew coffee is a better cup of coffee. Douglas Bishop, who met Leisek through the towing industry some years back in the Pacific Northwest, said he was called into help recover a car underwater in Portland. "I will live my life with integrity and morale and knowing that I did the right thing, which I hope you guys can support.". The groups work is done pro bono. Police confirmed the car found by divers withAdventures With Purpose belonged to Stephanie Torres, but human remains recovered from the vehicle had not been positively identified. Vanzant's body was recovered about 150 feet from the riverbank, having been submerged in around 18 feet of water, perCBS News. Locations that are frequented, etc. Ethan Bert Kazmerzak was born on April 12, 1991. "It's definitely her car, the same discoloration, peeling and paint on the front hood. Torres was days from celebrating her 43rd birthday when she disappeared. She was raised in Terrell, TX and moved to Wills Point in her early teens. Doug Bishop is the lead investigator and diver for AWP. While it was gut wrenching to have to see the tears stream down their faces as they were told the news, it was also incredibly heartwarming to see the smiles on their faces and the weight release from their shoulders knowing they were potentially bringing their loved ones home, Chaos Divers post read. He played multiple instruments and was a member of the Hampton Municipal Band. AWP found him in May 2022 after searching the Willamette River. After nine months of cleaning up the environment and returning as much lost property as he could, Leisek said he located, by accident his first submerged vehicle in Portland, that looked to have been swallowed by the sea years earlier. Samantha was driving a Ford Tempo at the time, that went missing along with her. On Monday October 26, 2020, the team searched another pond that had been searched twice before. In 2018, Samanthas mother Debbie Mayhan said that they always kept their family home, just in case Samantha could ever make her way back there. Ethan was missing for over seven years before AWP found his remains in 2020 inside his vehicle in a pond, near where he was . Officials said they also checked with pharmacies to see if shed refilled medication and posted about her disappearance on social media and shared it with media. A local towing company was called and they assisted with retrieving the vehicle. Carey disappeared in March of 1991 and it wasnt until February of 2021 that her family learned she was in a car accident that left her and her car submerged in Lake Tawakoni for three decades. Antonia Hylton is a correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC. As well as divers, there are production crew members who film all the searches and document them on YouTube. Sonar equipment can reveal whats underwater that human eyes cannot see because its too dark. This story has been shared 334,227 times. A DIVER who made a career out of search and rescue videos has revealed updates on several cases even after a judge refused to dismiss rape charges against him. For anyone not familiar with the group, it is made up of volunteer divers who travel across America, looking for clues in missing person cold cases. Amabile, 63, had heard lots of theories since his brother James disappeared Dec. 4, 2003, but discounted most of them for one reason: James was a family man, he said, devoted to his two daughters. "It started about three years ago when I wanted to get in the water and show things that are out of sight, out of mind," Leisek told 6 News during breakfast at The Olive Branch in Waco. Fort Valley State University student Missing Where is Anitra Gunn? "So, we do have confirmation that there are human remains inside the vehicle," Leisek said as he walked up the bank to Bianca. Another case solved by AWP is the case missing teen Matthew Jed Hall. The 10-member group not only consists of divers but also production crewmembers who film every search and rescue, posting videos on YouTube and other social media pages. He never arrived and was never seen again. "I would estimate probably several thousand people. She will have to be identified through DNA, but I have no other reason to believe it is not her.. Either way, it appears that Leisek is continuing to operate behind Adventures With Purpose as normal despite legal struggles. Divers with Adventures With Purpose, a group of civilians who work together to solve missing persons cold cases, have located in the Brazos River in Waco the vehicle of a woman who went missing in . "It is unfortunate when families like ours experience molestation.". In 2010, Patricia contacted the police to see if anything had changed with her sisters case. Thank you for being a part of AWP and the support you show by Commenting, Liking, Sharing, along with any financial contributions along the way in way of merchandise purchases and personal donations. This is one of those cases your family knows about, your kids know about, and its emotional, Riggs told the news station. We specialize in sonar the way that law enforcement doesnt have the capability, Doug explained. According to EastIdahoNews.com, the 16-year-old went missing in 2018. On Tuesday, their group of divers . His mother April said: He was 18 and he knew he could do it, so he did it. Ethan was also active in events sponsored by the Franklin County Arts Council, especially drama productions. This was due to the fact that the car hasnt been found. They started searching Lake Tawakoni and on February 4, 2021 they came across a Buick, matching the description of the one that Carey owned. In October 2021, 23 years after Samantha disappeared, AWP traveled to Russellville to search for the mother and daughter. As of 2020, the reward for information in his case stood at $100,000. while pulling out the body of a man they say went missing more than 18 years ago. Yeah, I get to live with that.. By Morgan Sung A group of volunteer rescue divers known for its YouTube channel may have cracked a decades-old cold case. A media article from NBC says that Carey wanted to give the children a more stable life so she relinquished custody of them. It was pretty easy to identify (Kazmerzak), Dodd said. But Hampton businessman Brad Staley, who coordinated the reward among the five original donors, said the money was pledged, not paid upfront, and was not renewed for 2020. I felt like they werent getting in touch with us or letting us know anything about the case, Bianca Torres said. Similar pro bono groups have been filling gaps of police-led dive teams, helping to solve other cases. She was Daddys Girl and loved to fish with him. Stephen Amabile stood by a dock along Darby Creek on Saturday morning, keeping optimism in check as he waited for an independent dive team to surface from the murky water. 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Adventures with Purpose began as a fun-filled YouTube page of lost personal items found under the water in the Pacific Northwest. Chaos Divers was able to sonar under one of the Pleasant View Road bridges, and as soon as the car was viewed on sonar, it was immediately identified as an overturned, small car, approximately 8 feet deep, Chaos Divers reported on its own Facebook page. It was a great feeling," Leisek said. Leisek and his team specialize in underwater search and recovery and have garnered about 2.85 million followers on the social media platform over the years. Working from clues as to Samanthas habits and events of that day in 1998, both dive teams split up to scan multiple locations in the area of Lake Dardanelle, with AWP taking the route along Mill Creek (and) sending Chaos Divers into the Illinois Bayou near Pleasant View Road, a social media post read. Adventures With Purpose, who say they've solved 19 cold cases since 2019, have more than 2 million subscribers on YouTube. Robert Procter, 89, and his wife Loveda, 92, vanished on January 14, 2023. She was last seen leaving her home on Dec. 20, 2017, but did not take her cellphone, wallet or medication with her. Leisek said they do it all for free and rely only on donations, apparel sales, and YouTube clicks, likes and shares. The group has solved a number of missing person cases, including a case involving a mother and her toddler who had gone missing 23 years prior. He was 22 when he went missing on September 15, 2013 in Hampton, Iowa. Leisek said they talked it over as a team and decided they couldn't make the trip halfway across the country to help a family in need. Divers from the group Adventures With Purpose said in a video Sunday. Dezirae was staying with her grandmother while her mother and sister attended the concert. Careys sister Patricia made the following statement: It is with my deepest sadness (but peaceful heart) that today we did find Careys car off the 751 causeway where it has rested upside down in 15 ft of water for 30 years, the statement read.