SOLVED 3-Month Missing Person Case (Jeremy Neves): Car Found 6ft Deep in Creek!

Missing for Three Months, Texas Man Found After Search Team Discovers Car Submerged Beneath Creek

ABILENE, Texas — Nearly three months after 25-year-old Jeremy Neves vanished without a trace, his disappearance has been tragically resolved following the discovery of his vehicle submerged in a shallow creek beneath a bridge near Lytle Lake, just outside Abilene. The find has brought long-awaited answers to a grieving family and highlighted how easily a fatal accident can remain hidden in plain sight.

Neves was last seen on the night of April 3, after leaving the popular local bar Guitars and Cadillacs. Friends and family reported no warning signs before his disappearance. When days passed with no contact, concern quickly grew. Despite extensive searches by loved ones and community volunteers, no concrete leads emerged.

What initially appeared to be a baffling missing-person case now appears to have been a single-vehicle accident, obscured by rising water levels and overlooked terrain.

Last Known Movements

According to investigators and family members, Neves had been involved in a minor sideswipe accident in the bar’s parking lot shortly before he left. He was driving a gold Oldsmobile, which was never seen again.

Phone records later revealed that Neves made his final call at 11:48 p.m. His phone subsequently lost power. Cell tower data showed several pings clustered near the Maple Street area, close to Lytle Lake, but the information was not precise enough to pinpoint his exact location.

Over the following weeks, law enforcement searched nearby roadways and bodies of water, including Kirby Lake. Community members organized search parties, walking through brush and along creek beds. Still, no sign of Neves or his vehicle was found.

“It was just so strange,” one family member said earlier in the search. “He didn’t take anything with him. He just disappeared.”

A Different Approach

In early July, the family reached out to Jeremy Sides and Adam Brown, members of a private, nonprofit search and recovery team known for using sonar technology to locate submerged vehicles. The group, which documents its searches online, travels across the country at no cost to families.

Upon arriving in Abilene, Sides and Brown reviewed phone ping data and satellite imagery. One location stood out: a narrow creek running beneath a bridge near Lytle Lake.

“At first glance, it didn’t look promising,” Sides said. “Most people would assume it’s too shallow. On Google Maps, it often looks dry.”

However, historical satellite images told a different story. During periods of heavy rain, the creek can swell to more than six feet deep — just enough to conceal a vehicle entirely.

Discovery Beneath the Bridge

Using a handheld depth sonar device, the team confirmed water depths between six and six-and-a-half feet in several spots beneath the bridge. They then deployed a remote-controlled sonar boat, designed to scan areas inaccessible to larger vessels.

Within minutes, the sonar display revealed an object with unmistakable contours.

“That’s a car,” one of the searchers said on video. “A hundred percent.”

The image showed a vehicle resting upright on its wheels, wedged between bridge pillars and partially obscured by debris. The roof of the car sat just one foot below the water’s surface — invisible to anyone standing above.

“There’s no way anyone would have seen it without sonar,” Brown said. “You could walk right past it a hundred times.”

Confirmation Underwater

Due to extremely murky water and near-zero visibility, one team member entered the creek and located the vehicle by feel alone. The diver confirmed that all windows were closed and the vehicle appeared largely intact.

Carefully reaching the rear of the car, he removed the license plate. The numbers matched Jeremy Neves’ Oldsmobile exactly.

“It’s his car,” Brown said quietly after the confirmation. “We found Jeremy.”

While authorities have not yet released an official cause of death, investigators say the location and condition of the vehicle strongly suggest an accidental departure from the roadway late at night.

Law Enforcement Response

Abilene police, fire rescue, and dive teams were dispatched to the scene shortly after the discovery. A wrecker service equipped with heavy lifting equipment was brought in to recover the vehicle under the supervision of forensic investigators.

Officials noted that the creek flows northward and that heavy rainfall in late spring and early summer may have slightly shifted the vehicle’s position after it entered the water.

“This area has seen vehicle recoveries before,” said a fire department water rescue captain. “But usually those are reported immediately. This one stayed hidden because the water level stayed just high enough.”

Authorities believe Neves may have driven off the roadway between the bridge structures, missing guardrails entirely — a scenario consistent with the vehicle’s final position.

Closure for a Family

For Neves’ family, the discovery brought devastating news — but also an end to months of uncertainty.

“Not knowing was the hardest part,” a family representative said. “Now we can bring him home.”

Search team members emphasized that while their work often leads to tragic conclusions, providing answers is their primary mission.

“Closure doesn’t mean healing,” Sides said. “But it gives families something solid instead of endless questions.”

A Broader Lesson

The case underscores how missing-person investigations can stall when accidents occur in areas that appear too shallow, too visible, or too unlikely to hide a vehicle.

“These are the spots people don’t check,” Brown said. “Under bridges. Small creeks. Places that look obvious but aren’t.”

The team hopes the case will encourage broader use of sonar technology by law enforcement agencies nationwide.

“There are a lot of people still missing,” Sides added. “And some of them are closer than anyone thinks.”

As the recovery operation concluded, the quiet creek returned to stillness. For the Neves family and the Abilene community, however, the discovery marked the end of a painful chapter — and a sobering reminder of how quickly a normal night can turn tragic.