Human remains were discovered in a vehicle recovered Sunday from the Allegheny River near Butler Street in Springdale.
Allegheny County Police said the Murrysville Medic One dive team was training in the river in the area of Butler Street when the vehicle was found.
The divers notified emergency dispatch that human remains were in the vehicle, police said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office gathered the remains from the vehicle and transported them “for identification and cause and manner determinations” county police said.
In a statement on its Facebook page, Murrysville Medic One said it was performing boat sonar and dive training at the site when a boy who lost his fishing pole asked if they could help find the pole.
“A diver was sent in at the boat ramp and was able to retrieve his fishing pole from 7 feet of water,” the statement said. “While running sonar, our boat operator was able to locate a vehicle in about 10 feet of water. Two divers were deployed to assess and attempt to identify the vehicle.”
The divers noted information about the vehicle, including its license plate information, and notified Springdale Borough Police, “who made the decision to pull the vehicle from the river with our assistance.
“We deployed three divers who were able to successfully confirm some notes about the vehicle and rig the vehicle for extraction. Once on shore, a dry assessment confirmed the possibilities of human remains.”
Investigators declined to comment as the investigation continues.
Personnel from the Springdale Borough Police Department and Springdale Volunteer Fire Department were also at the scene through the day. They declined to comment. The emergency responders were assisted by Oak’s Auto/Towing Service to pull the vehicle from the river, the Murrysville Medic One statement said.
Anyone with information concerning the incident is asked to call Allegheny County police at 1-833-ALL-TIPS.
