Phoenix police Detective Stuart Somershoe talks about the difficulty of investigating missing persons and cold cases, and the impact they have on families.
A truck belonging to a missing man was found submerged in Lake Powell over Labor Day weekend with a body inside.
Officials with the Page Police Department and the Kane County Sheriff's Office said in a joint statement that people visiting Lone Rock Beach in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area saw a vehicle in the water.
Park rangers identified the truck's owner as Dennis Keith Dillinger, 54, of Arizona. He disappeared in December 2023, and was last seen at a Family Dollar in Kanab, Utah. He had been driving a "silver and dark gray" truck -- a 1991 Dodge Dakota with a metal cab high topper.
Officials said human remains were found inside the vehicle and were transported to the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office for identification and further investigation into the cause of death.
"This is still an open and ongoing investigation," the joint statement read.
Who was Dennis Dillinger?
Sheri Mersinger said Dillinger, her older brother, loved the outdoors and frequently visited Lake Powell, according to Salt Lake City's ABC4.
"It's been almost two years. I had a knowing in my spirit that he was at Lake Powell. He loved that place," she said. "He loved Lone Rock. It was a place he said brought him peace, so I was not surprised at all that they did find him there."
Mersinger said he had texted several family members about renting a houseboat for a get-together on the lake before disappearing. She said he was close with his family and known for his generous spirit.
"He would give you the shirt off of his back," she said, noting that he was a mechanic and often stopped to assist people with car troubles on the road. "He always helped people anytime he could."