The search for a missing Texas woman may be over. A group of divers located the car of Stephanie Torres, a woman who went missing in 2017, in the Brazos River near Waco, authorities reported.
According to Jalopnik, a group of divers were dredging the river in hopes of finding clues about the woman. The group Adventures With Purpose (AWP) began looking in the river in December 2021 after learning details about Torres’ disappearance. Further, the organization uses sonar to help find cars underwater and assists with missing people cases.
Torres’ daughter Bianca Torres says her mother disappeared after leaving her home in Waco. She left without her wallet or cellphone. The 42-year-old was taking medicine for fibromyalgia at the time, which caused depression as a side effect. Bianca Torres also said that it wasn’t unusual for her mother to leave for a couple of days without contacting anyone.
However, the Texas woman never returned home. Despite a massive initial search, the woman wasn’t found by Waco police. Now after four years, Torres’ 2006 Kia Rio was discovered by the diving group. There were also human remains nearby, though they haven’t been positively identified.
At the search, Torres’ family was standing nearby in hopes that something may turn up.
“I’m scared. I’m nervous. I don’t have words at this point,” daughter Bianca Torres said, per NBC.
AWS and Their Mission to Find Missing People
Speculation from family members was that she took her own life because of the pain she was in. Torres’ children said she would often take a hot shower daily because of her pain.
Despite this, both her children, Bianca and Jonathan, said they felt like the Waco police didn’t do enough to find Torres initially and they were left with frustrations.
“I felt like they weren’t getting in touch with us or letting us know anything about the case,” Bianca Torres said.
It seems that the mystery is tragically over now, though. While the family may have some closure, it appears that their worst fears are confirmed: their mother is dead.
Adventures With Purpose consider themselves to be cold case sleuths. They assist families with their investigations. They were founded in Oregon in 2018, originally intending to help with trash and debris removal.
However, soon the team began finding cars as well as some human remains. And then their mission changed. Working pro bono, the team enlists their skills to search murky areas for the missing. And they’ve successfully been involved with at least 23 cases.
In addition to finding Torres’ vehicle and nearby remains, AWS also found other submerged cars. Their work is difficult and sad, but it’s also fulfilling for the families who’ve experienced tragedy.
