PALM HARBOR, Fla. — The Pinellas County Medical Examiner's Office positively identified human remains found inside a car submerged in a pond as the man who had been missing for more than 16 years.
In a media alert Friday, the sheriff's office explains the remains that were found underwater in a pond in Palm Harbor were those of Robert Helphrey, who was first reported missing in 2006.
On Friday, April 14, deputies with an underwater search and recovery team worked with detectives from the homicide unit to recover a 2005 Mitsubishi SUV. The car was registered to Helphrey, the agency explained.
The vehicle was found in a retention pond directly east of the intersection of Old Oak Circle and Belcher Road after deputies were alerted by the Sunshine State Sonar Search team.
According to deputies, Helphrey's family has been notified of the find. The medical examiner's office is now investigating to determine the cause of death.
Helphrey was last seen around 1:30 a.m. on May 22, 2006, leaving Peggy O'Neill's Irish Pub and Eatery in Palm Harbor, according to the cold case database, The Charley Project.
"He was supposed to meet a friend at his friend's nearby residence. Bell's friend says that while they spoke on the phone at 2:00 a.m., Helphrey never met him that night," the website reads.
Helphrey also did not return to his own apartment and was never heard from again, according to the page. He left behind important items including his toothbrush, shaving kit, clothes and pet dog.
His family said they don't believe he would have left without telling anyone, according to The Charley Project. His bank accounts also haven't been used since his disappearance.
Helphrey was a military veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm and had two daughters.
The investigation is ongoing.
10 Tampa Bay's BriShon Mitchell contributed to this report.