Divers search Stilwell City Lake looking for evidence in cold cases

Yahoo

07-05-2025

STILWELL, Okla. (KNWA/KFTA) — Two independent investigation organizations, Chaos Divers and Depths of History, spent Monday searching for evidence at Stilwell City Lake tied to any unsolved cases.
During each search, the two groups take Chaos Divers' boat out onto the lake, drifting along every inch while running sonar in attempts to detect abnormalities under the surface. They are searching for cars that were dumped, weapons that were discarded and, in some instances, remains.
'We are hoping that during our process of searching with the sonar and the diving capabilities that we will be able to provide answers,' Lindsay Bussick with Chaos Divers said. 'Maybe not necessarily to a family of a missing person but maybe bring some closure to a case they have here.'
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During their search, once sonar detects something out of the ordinary under the water, Britain Lockhart of Depths of History said they use a device to give them real-time imaging of what is below the surface. Then, if it's a submerged vehicle they detected, they can dive underwater and take down information, such as its year, make, model and license plate number before using a magnet that attach to the car.
There were reports of criminal activity in Adair County, the groups said, marking their fourth stop in their region-wide series of searches. They searched bodies of water in Little Rock, Kaw City, Oklahoma, and Muskogee, Oklahoma, before going to Stilwell.
The groups said they weren't attempting to solve any specific cold case, rather looking for anything in Stilwell City Lake that could help the Adair County Sheriff's Office in any unresolved cases.
The groups were unable to find any suspicious material at the bottom of the lake as a result of their search.
Bussick said some departments don't have the technology or time to focus on cold cases, adding that their organizations hope to be an outlet they can turn to for help.
'We want them to know that we're here for them,' Bussick said. 'That goes for any law enforcement agency across the country. If we can help in any way, we want to be able to do that.'
Depths of History has been posting videos on YouTube for 11 years. Now, with more than 762,000 subscribers, Lockhart and Colston Gertz have since helped recover more than 300 guns in the Atlanta metro, a World War II-era mortar and the car and remains of Karen Moore, a Florida woman who had been missing for 22 years.
'I try to feel what the family's feeling,' Lockhart said. 'It is a positive that we're giving the family answers, but at the same time, you're giving them the worst news of their life. It's really hard.'
Chaos Divers is made up of Bussick, Jacob Grubbs and their dog, Maverick. They've worked more than 110 missing persons cold cases, recovering 20 out of those, Bussick said.
The two groups are now turning their attention to New Madrid, Missouri, which is along the Mississippi River. There, they'll be hoping to find evidence that can lead to the findings of two missing persons: Barbara Stoffer and Richard Caleb Powell.
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