For nine long years, David Lee Niles was missing. It wasn’t until this week that his family was finally able to find a few answers about his case. A body believed to be Niles’ was found submerged in his vehicle in a pond not far from where he vanished.
It was October 11, 2006 when Niles left his local watering hole, Jake’s Bar in Byron Township, reports 24 Hour News 8. He met a friend for a drink and then left the bar suddenly. At the time of his disappearance, Niles’ family says he was not only suffering from depression, but also from cancer.
In Byron Township, Mich., earlier this week, a man was decorating a Christmas tree outside a funeral home when he said he spotted a vehicle in a pond. (This eerie Google aerial image also shows the car submerged in water.)
Related: Remains Pulled From Car In Lake IDd As Man Missing 43 Years
24 Hour News 8 spoke to Brian Houseman, who made the grim discovery. He said, “All of the sudden, it’s like, ‘whoa, there’s a car out there.’ No one could ever see it. It was murky and things moved around.”
Scott Hathaway is Niles’ son-in-law, and he also spoke to the news station, saying, “For us today, it’s a closure of a long search. Why God waited nine years, I have no idea, but we’re happy.”
The family apparently spent years searching until realizing their loved one may not be coming home. That’s when Hathaway and his family published an obituary in 2011. The very first line reads, “David Lee Niles, age 72, of Wyoming, passed away and only God knows the time and place.”
At this point it is not clear about the man’s cause of death and whether it was an accident or a suicide, but authorities say they do not suspect foul play.
If you know anything about this case, please contact the Kent County Sheriff’s Department directly: 616.632.6357.
Read more: 24 Hour News 8
Photo: Google Maps
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