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Russell RCMP received a report of a submerged vehicle in Lake of the Prairies, located in the RM of Riding Mountain-West on Aug. 20th. The vehicle was discovered by an individual who provided fish finder images and GPS coordinates to the police.
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Russell RCMP officers initiated an investigation to determine if there were any reports of missing persons related to the vehicle. Still, they could not ascertain when or how the vehicle ended up submerged. The RCMP Underwater Recovery Team (URT), led by Corporal Kathryn Ternier, was called in to assist with identifying the vehicle.
On Aug. 27 the URT used boat sonar to locate the submerged vehicle.
“There was very poor visibility in the water, less than one foot, due to sediment and other natural factors,” said Corporal Ternier.
To safely investigate, the team deployed a drop sonar to guide a remote-operated vehicle (ROV) to the site instead of using divers due to the inherent risks of underwater operations.
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The ROV descended to a depth of six metres, revealing that the vehicle was a 1970s pickup truck. Using the plate number identified by the ROV, police traced the vehicle’s records with assistance from Manitoba Public Insurance.
The investigation revealed that the truck’s owner, a resident of the RM of Tache, had been driving home across the ice during the winter of 1990 when the vehicle broke through. All occupants safely escaped, but despite numerous attempts, the owner had been unable to locate the submerged truck over the years.
“Case closed on this one! This was a good ending for us,” Corporal Ternier remarked. “Nobody had been harmed, and we got to solve a decades-old mystery.”
Corporal Ternier noted that low visibility in Manitoba’s waters often complicates recovery operations, requiring the team to respond with technology like ROVs to reduce risks to divers.
“The technology the RCMP has to work in an underwater environment allows us as divers to be as safe as possible while ensuring we are providing the most information possible to investigators,” Ternier said.
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