A mystery that's lasted almost two decades has finally been solved. Authorities located a missing plane in Lake Huron 17 years after the small passenger aircraft went missing.
They also found the remains of one of the plane's passengers in the wreckage. Authorities located the wreckage in Lake Huron. In a statement, the Michigan State Police confirmed the remains were H. Brooke Stauffer Jr. The crash happened back in August 2007. Both Stauffer and his fiancée, Karen Dodds took the plane from Mackinac Island to Bad Axe. Dodds was also the plane's pilot. It was a SOCATA TB-20 Trinidad airplane. Unfortunately, it crashed into Lake Huron.
Following the crash, search and rescue crews launched a search effort to locate the crash. Two months later, they found Dodds' body. But until now, they failed to locate the plane.
"Those remains were recovered and later identified as the missing pilot," MSP told PEOPLE. "The search for the passenger and the plane wreckage continued and eventually was called off without finding the wreckage."
Crash At Lake Huron
Back in October 2023, family members asked the private organization Great Lakes Search and Recovery to continue the search. They hoped that new technology could locate the wreckage. Fast forward to now, and the search team finally managed to find the wreckage in Lake Huron. After finding the wreckage, they found evidence that it was indeed the same plane.
"As state police divers searched the wreckage, a set of skeletal remains was found at the crash site. The remains were provided to the Center for Forensic Anthropology at Northern Michigan University for identification," MSP wrote. "Through dental records they were positively identified as being the skeletal remains of the 56-year-old passenger."
Authorities hope this finally brings closure to his family. His obituary stated that he was writer.
"He was a prolific writer, and the author of several technical books, numerous magazine articles, a children's novel and a guidebook for Washington, D.C.," the obituary said.
"The Michigan State Police credits the amazing work done by Great Lakes Search and Recovery to help bring closure to the victims' families," MSP said.
