Shortly after 12 p.m. on Jan. 19, 2022, Waco officers were notified that a team of divers from Adventures with Purpose found three vehicles in the Brazos River.
Adventures with Purpose, a non-profit organization, was scoping the lake with cutting-edge sonar in search of clues to the disappearance of William Nolan Bass. Bass was last seen in the area in 2000 when he was on his way to get his car inspected, but never made it.
Instead, Adventures with Purpose located a vehicle in the river that resembled that of Stephanie Torres, who went missing in December 2017. In the initial search for Torres, it was reported to officers that she may have been intoxicated and suicidal when she disappeared. A search began for Torres, however every lead came up empty. The case was later suspended in February 2019, pending no additional evidence.
Once the vehicle was recovered by the Waco Police Department with the help from the Waco Fire Dive Team, investigators found a badly decomposed body inside. Investigators have not yet been able to identify the body, but investigators have confirmed the VIN number of the recovered vehicle matches that of Torres' vechicle. A full autopsy will be done.
Due to daylight, the Waco Fire Dive team was only able to recover one vehicle. The other two will be recovered at a later date. This investigation will continue into Torres, as well as any other leads produced from the recovery of the additional two vehicles.
Republished courtesy of Waco Police Department. Photo: Extraction of a car found in Fort Worth by Adventures with Purpose. Credit: AWP