A 13-year-old boy from Sherwood Park spotted a car underwater in a B.C. lake and helped police close a 27-year-old cold case after a woman was found inside.
Max Werenka, whose family runs Griffin Lake Cabins near Revelstoke, found the car in the lake and it was reported to RCMP.
Two officers went to the lake with Werenka, but it was a gloomy day and hard to see, so the 13-year-old continued to help RCMP—this time with his GoPro camera.
"I dove down around the car and I just filmed it to get a better view of everything," Werenka told CTV News Edmonton. "It's better for them to see everything and be able to get more information."
Werenka says the car, a 1980s Honda Accord that was upside down, was towed out of the lake, and a woman was found inside.
The image captured on the boy's GoPro camera (Revelstoke RCMP)
"There was a missing person who owned that vehicle, so they went and got a tow truck, pulled the car out and found the missing person in the car," Werenka said.
RCMP confirmed the car belonged to Janet Farris, who went missing in the fall of 1992. Her son, George Farris, tells CTV News it is "the end of the story" and "closure" for his family.
Janet Farris was found inside the Honda Accord that Max Werenka spotted in Griffin Lake
The RCMP are "very appreciative" of Werenka's contributions in helping solve the decades-long case.
"I think it's outstanding," Revelstoke RCMP Cpl. Thomas Blakney said.
"In this case, the boy, you know, he tells his mom. He's curious. Maybe we'll see his application one day, with the RCMP. That's good detective work on his part."
With files from CTV News Vancouver
