YouTube diving group helps Pittsburgh police after finding body in Allegheny River

PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh area family will soon have closure after two national search-and-recovery dive teams found the body of a man inside a car in the Allegheny River.

It was an outcome made possible by Adventures With Purpose and Chaos Divers - two underwater sonar dive teams, each with millions of viewers on YouTube and Facebook. The groups specialize in solving cold cases involving missing people whose vehicles are also missing.

“What happened today allows us to help the next family,” said Doug Bishop of Adventures With Purpose. “The biggest thing out of this all is there is a family that now has answers.”

“We’re just really thankful to these guys for notifying police right away and river rescue…a sad outcome, but at the end of the day, everyone worked really well together,” said Cara Cruz, Pittsburgh Public Safety PIO.

The teams had been in the Pittsburgh area for a few days working two separate cold cases – 70-year-old Janet Walsh, who went missing from Shaler Township in 2020 and 78-year-old Bunnie Lee, who disappeared from Homewood in 2013.

While searching for the two Saturday afternoon, divers discovered a red sedan with the body of a man inside.

“This makes the 26th case we’ve been able to bring answers to within two years,” Bishop said.

Working with the Pittsburgh police river rescue team and fire crews, Bishop and Jacob Grubbs pulled the car from the Allegheny river. It was about 16 feet deep and 30 feet from the shore.

“So for us to become a resource for law enforcement is amazing. The support that we have behind us for this whole ordeal allows us to help the families and law enforcement for free,” Grubbs said.

In the end, it was a methodical process, that in this case, will provide closure, bringing a loved one home and a family answers.

“As tragic as this is, it’s necessary in order to move forward,” Bishop said.

Pittsburgh public safety officials said they will be in touch with law enforcement with Cranberry and Zelienople for reasons they said will come to light later.

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