Minnesota Fisherman Likely Cracks 1967 Cold Case After Discovering Car

A fisherman on the Mississippi River in Minnesota may have uncovered the answer to a nearly 60-year-old missing person case after spotting a submerged car, authorities and local outlets reported.

Image: Authorities in Sartell, Minnesota, work to pull out a submerged car that belonged to a man reported missing in 1967 | Sartell, Minnesota Police Department

The fisherman, Brody Loch, told Minneapolis station WCCO that he contacted authorities after detecting the sunken 1960s-era Buick with a sonar device during the weekend of August 9.

By the following Wednesday, divers from the Stearns County sheriff’s office and a tow crew had retrieved the vehicle near Sartell. Inside, investigators discovered human remains, according to a statement from Sheriff Steve Soyka’s office. Using the vehicle identification number (VIN), officials confirmed the car was registered to Roy Benn, a 59-year-old reported missing in September 1967 by the neighboring Benton County sheriff’s office.

The remains have been sent to a medical examiner for confirmation, though Soyka’s office said the evidence strongly suggests they are Benn’s. The case has since been handed over to the Benton County sheriff’s office.

Sheriff Troy Heck of Benton County told CNN his office notified Benn’s surviving relatives, who had previously provided 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.

According to a missing persons bulletin from Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety, Benn was last seen on September 25, 1967, while “carrying a large sum of money” and driving his metallic blue 1963 Buick Electra. At the time, Benn owned an appliance repair business in St. Cloud. Local reports also noted that his wife had died the year before his disappearance.