Frank Davis, who went missing from Creston in 2004, was recovered after divers found his upside-down car in the Kootenay River near the community.
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Frank Davis, 40 when he went missing from Creston, B.C., was found after more than 22 years underwater following a recovery search in the Kootenay River near Creston.
A team of divers with Adventures with Purpose located Davis’ vehicle at the bottom of the river, with the car flipped upside down and Davis’ remains inside. After more than two decades underwater, much of his body had decomposed.
The divers said it was difficult to determine whether there was even a body inside until they got closer. They used information about a person’s last known location to map possible areas where a vehicle may have entered the water, then used sonar to scan beneath the surface and methodically narrow locations until they found a lead.
For Davis, the search stretched into its eighth hour before the team located the car on the opposite side of the river. Diver Bryon Leisek said the 11th search was where the vehicle was found, adding, “We can work very fast.”
Adventures with Purpose is an American dive team documented for recovery searches involving missing people and vehicles believed to be underwater, and it works with families and law enforcement to help bring answers to long-unsolved cases. The team said it doesn’t charge families or police departments for recovery searches.
Davis’ brother, Reid Davis, described the moment as overwhelming after years without answers, saying, “It was numbing at first; after so long, you kind of think that you’re not going to have this moment ever, and then just a flood of memories again, all these things that you kind of put away over the years.”
Reid said he hopes the family can move forward by sharing stories about Frank, including with his youngest son, who was two when his father disappeared.
Davis’ niece, Lenelle Davis, said the discovery has been difficult in part because uncertainty lasted for years, especially for her grandmother, Frank’s mother, who died without knowing what happened. She said, “How could you ever have any peace not knowing what has happened to your child?”
While the discovery places Davis at the river, it did not explain exactly how he ended up there. Adventures with Purpose producer Kade Pigg said the team believes the car went into the water near the abandoned ferry crossing, adding, “We just determined the where, not the why.”
Police said Davis’ death is not considered suspicious and that foul play is not suspected. For the family, the recovery means they no longer have to wonder where Frank was, with Lenelle describing relief in knowing “he’s home and he’s resting and we’re just not wondering.”
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