On August 20, 2024, Russell RCMP received a report of a submerged vehicle in Lake of the Prairies in the RM of Riding Mountain-West. The individual who located the vehicle was able to provide police with fish finder images and the GPS location.
Officers began investigating to determine if there were any missing person reports in the area, but were unable to determine how or when the vehicle came to be submerged. It was decided to contact the RCMP Underwater Recovery Team (URT), led by Corporal Kathryn Ternier, to see if they were able to come and assist with identifying the vehicle.
On August 27, 2024, URT attended Lake of the Prairies and using the boat sonar, located the vehicle.
"There was very poor visibility in the water, less than one foot, due to sediment and other natural factors," said Corporal Ternier, "so we determined that we would deploy a drop sonar to direct our remote operated vehicle (ROV) to the vehicle. We would not use divers at this stage, as the ROV can perform the same tasks effectively. Even though we adhere to very safe scuba diving practices, there are inherent risks involved. With the availability of technology like the ROV, we can eliminate those risks and better protect our human resources."
The ROV deployed to a depth of six metres, and the team was able to learn the plate number of the vehicle, that the vehicle was a pickup truck, and it looked to be a 1970s model.
"The fact that the vehicle was from the 70s was really interesting," said Corporal Ternier. "What were we dealing with? What was the story? We had so many questions."
With the plate number provided by the ROV, police enlisted Manitoba Public Insurance and were able to trace the records back to 1990.
The registered owner of the vehicle, from the RM of Tache, was contacted, and it was determined that he had been returning home in the winter of 1990 and took a shortcut across the ice, but the truck went through. Everyone had been able to get safely out of the vehicle. The owner had returned multiple times over the years trying to locate the vehicle, but had never found it.
"Case closed on this one! This was a good ending for us," said Corporal Ternier. "Nobody had been harmed, and we got to solve a decades-old mystery!"
Low or no underwater visibility is common in Manitoba, and the placement of evidence in water is often unwitnessed, so a "search by feel" approach has been the common approach used by URT. However, the team continues to innovate and increasingly use technology in their work.
"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. The RCMP is always looking for ways to innovate and continue our learning when it comes to working under water," said Corporal Ternier.