BOCA RATON, Fla. — After nearly a decade of searching, the remains of 25-year-old Steven MacKrell have been found in Boca Raton, according to Sunshine State Sonar.
In a Facebook post, the volunteer search and recovery group announced that on Thursday, at about 7:20 p.m., they located MacKrell’s car submerged 2013 Ford Fusion in a lake near the 900 block of Peninsula Corporate Circle, just off Interstate 95.
Fort Lauderdale police said that a medical examiner confirmed that the skeletal remains found inside the vehicle were later identified as belonging to MacKrell.
“This search was a collaborative effort with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department and the Boca Raton Police Services Department,” Sunshine State Sonar said in the Facebook post. “Without the hard work and incredible efforts of both agencies, this case would not have been resolved.”
MacKrell was reported missing in July 2015 after he disappeared from downtown Fort Lauderdale.
Detectives later obtained surveillance video showing what was believed to be his last known sighting at a Valero gas station in Pompano Beach on July 30, 2015.
Investigators said he may have had a confrontation with a man at that gas station before getting back into his car and driving away. He was never seen again.
MacKrell’s car, a white Ford Fusion with Florida license plate WJ70L, had remained missing — until this week’s discovery.
Police said the circumstances as to how MacKrell and his car ended up in the lake remain under investigation.
Investigators are still asking anyone who may have had contact with MacKrell on the night of July 30, 2015, or who have may known about his disappearance is urged to contact FLPD at 954-828-5700 or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.
Click here for more information on the efforts of Sunshine State Sonar.
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