Divers, towing crews and deputies worked Saturday morning to retrieve a fifth vehicle located at the bottom of Pineview Reservoir.
Earlier this month, five vehicles were discovered at the bottom of the Ogden reservoir as Weber County deputies were testing out new sonar equipment. Four cars were pulled out over a week ago, with license plates dating the cars from the ‘90s to August of this year.
The car recovered Saturday was a Mercury sedan from the 1950s, according to Lt. Lane Findlay with the Weber County Sheriff’s Office.
“It was in pretty poor shape, rusted, deteriorated, and has probably been in the water for a pretty long period of time, maybe up to 50 years,” Findlay said.
During the recovery effort, crews also discovered a bag containing a 10-pound weight and two handguns in close proximity to the vehicle.
The area where the car and guns were located is a closed-off section of the reservoir, not easily or often accessed, according to Findlay. He said it is a lucky coincidence they were found together.
“If somebody’s going to put a couple of guns in a bag with a weight and throw them into a body of water, then they’re doing that for a reason. One, either the guns are stolen and they want to dispose of them, or two, they were used in some type of crime and so they’re wanting to be able to destroy the evidence,” Findlay said.
Three of the cars retrieved last week were reported stolen. Findlay said evidence suggests the fifth vehicle was likely dumped, not stolen. An investigation is underway to identify the owners of and history behind the cars and handguns.