A truck pulled from the water in south Knoxville may have belonged to a missing local man, according to Knoxville police. (Photo courtesy WBIR-TV)
More human remains have been found by a dive team near a pickup truck found under water on Thursday and last seen being driven by a man missing since 2010, authorities said.
The Knoxville Police Department said the 1996 Ford Ranger pickup truck found upside down and under water on Thursday is the same vehicle last seen being driven by Derek Ryan Funk, 19, who has been missing since May 12, 2010.
Earlier Friday, a Knoxville Volunteer Rescue Squad dive team had reported finding human remains near the pickup truck in the 1400 block of Island Home Avenue in South Knoxville, although it wasn’t clear if the remains belonged to Funk. Funk went to Oak Ridge High School, and his parents live in Oak Ridge.
“The investigation into the vehicle and human remains discovery is continuing,” KPD spokesman Darrell DeBusk said. “Additional remains have been discovered by the Knoxville Volunteer Rescue Squad’s dive team. It will likely be at least sometime next week before the remains can be positively identified.
“Knoxville Police Department missing persons investigators, along with investigators from the major crimes division, are working together to determine if the person who has been discovered in the water died as a result of a homicide. Currently, we are working with additional law enforcement agencies to investigate leads that have developed as a result of the vehicle discovery yesterday. We will continue to provide updates as the multi-agency investigation continues.”
More information will be added as it becomes available.
See previous story here.
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