A fisherman in Minnesota has helped solve a nearly 60-year-old missing person case after discovering a submerged car in the Mississippi River. Brody Loch, using a sonar device, spotted the 1960s-era Buick on August 9 near Sartell. He called authorities, who recovered the vehicle and found human remains inside.
The car's vehicle identification number matched that of Roy Benn, a 59-year-old appliance repairman reported missing in September 1967. Benn was last seen carrying a large sum of money and driving his 1963 metallic blue Buick Electra. His wife had died the year before he vanished.
Investigators believe the remains are Benn's, though a medical examiner will confirm. Stearns County Sheriff Steve Soyka said the case has been turned over to Benton County, where Sheriff Troy Heck noted that Benn's family has been notified and asked for DNA samples. 'We're just grateful that we may likely have finally gotten the break that we needed to bring closure to this family,' Heck said.
Benn's brother, Walter, had worked with authorities on the case but leads never materialized. Benn was declared legally dead in 1975. The car, filled with sediment and severely deteriorated, was intact. Loch expressed hope that Benn's family would get answers, attributing the discovery to '100% luck.'
