PALM HARBOR, Fla. — The car owned by a Palm Harbor veteran who has been missing for more than 16 years was found Friday morning in a Pinellas County pond, according to the sheriff's office.
Authorities add human bones were located inside.
Deputies were seen pulling a blue/grey Mitsubishi Outlander hatchback, which matched the description of the car owned by 34-year-old Robert Helphrey, out of the pond located in the area of Belcher Road and Old Oak Circle. The Sunshine State Sonar dive team provided assistance, law enforcement said.
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 conditions surrounding his disappearance have remained unclear.
"Next of kin has been notified. The cause of death has not been determined at this time," Charlotte County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Claudette Smith said in a statement.