For 22 years, the disappearance of Frank Davis remained an unanswered mystery for his family.
Davis was 40 when he went missing from Creston, B.C., leaving behind loved ones who would spend years wondering what happened to him.
Now, a team of divers called Adventures with Purpose uncovered a discovery beneath the waters of the Kootenay River near Creston: Frank’s car, flipped upside down at the bottom of the river, with his remains inside.
The divers start by identifying a person’s last known location and using available information to map out potential areas where their vehicle may have entered the water. The team then uses sonar to scan beneath the surface, methodically ruling out locations until they find a lead.
For Davis, the search stretched into its eighth hour before the team located his car on the opposite side of the river.
“The 11th search was where his car was on the other side of the river. We can work very fast,” said Bryon Leisek, a diver with Adventures With Purpose.
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Adventures with Purpose is an American dive team known for its YouTube channel, where it documents searches for missing people and vehicles believed to be underwater.
The team works with families and law enforcement to help bring answers to long-unsolved cases and doesn’t charge the families or police departments for its recovery searches.
For families who have spent years wondering what happened to a loved one, the team’s work can help provide answers and a sense of closure.
For Davis’ brother, Reid Davis, the discovery brought back a ton of emotions. After 22 years without answers, Reid says he had almost stopped believing he would ever know what happened.
“It was numbing at first; after so long, you kind of think that you’re not going to have this moment ever, and then just a flood of memories again, all these things that you kind of put away over the years,” Reid said.
Now, Reid hopes the family can move forward by sharing stories about Frank, especially with his youngest son, who was just two years old when his father disappeared.
Frank’s niece, Lenelle Davis, remembers being young when he disappeared. But she has not forgotten the uncertainty that followed, especially for her grandmother, Frank’s mother, who died without knowing what happened to her son.
“How could you ever have any peace not knowing what has happened to your child?” Lenelle said. “I always felt heartbroken for her.”
While the discovery has finally answered where Davis was found, it has not explained exactly how he ended up in the river.
Kade Pigg, a producer with Adventures With Purpose, said the team believes the car went into the water near the abandoned ferry crossing.
“We just determined the where, not the why,” Pigg said.
Police say Davis’ death is not considered suspicious and foul play is not suspected.
For his family, the discovery means they no longer have to wonder where Frank was. As Lenelle put it, there is relief in knowing “he’s home and he’s resting and we’re just not wondering.”
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