While conducting training exercises with their new sonar equipment, Oklahoma Highway Patrol's Lake patrol division discovered two echoes that may very well clear up two cold cases involving missing persons dating back to 1969 in 1970.

The Two Echoes revealed to vehicles in the bottom of Foss Lake in Custer County, Oklahoma. Following the discovery, two rust encrusted and muddy cars were pulled from the bottom of the lake. The Highway Patrol stated that three skulls had been recovered as of Tuesday evening. The state Medical Examiner’s Office, on Wednesday announced that it believes the remains of six people recovered.

Although the lake patrol suspected that they would find something in the lake, as they tend to find stolen vehicles that are parts of insurance scams, they did not expect to find what was found.

One of the vehicles, a 1969 blue Chevrolet Camaro, is identical to the one that belonged to 16-year-old Jimmy Williams of nearby Sayre, and went missing on November 20, 1970 with him and two of his friends, 18-year-old Thomas Rios an 18-year-old Leah Johnson. Williams had left home and told his family he was going to a football game in Elk City. They were last seen driving around in the vehicle, then disappeared, and were never again seen.

The other vehicle, an older 1957 Chevrolet, may be one that went missing in the early 60s. The occupants in that case disappeared with a friend when they went on a trip to Foss Lake and were never seen again.

The remains found in the two vehicles were turned over to the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner’s Office in an attempt to positively identify the victims. that office will also utilize an anthropologist In an in an attempt to determine if there were wounds or injuries to their bodies or victims of crime. the medical examiner says it could take anywhere from days to years to determine the identities and that that determination will depend on the preservation of the bodies.

The examiner’s office will also use DNA from living relatives to try and determine the identity of the remains.