SHERIFF NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATURE OF INCIDENT: Submerged Stolen Vehicle Recovered from Wolf Lake

NARRATIVE:

Sheriff Daniel E. Abbott reports that on March 25, 2026, a Detective Sergeant with the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by a citizen who was fishing on Wolf Lake in Almena Township. The individual reported observing a suspicious object on his Garmin LiveScope sonar system while on the water.

The citizen provided photographs captured from the forward-facing sonar, which appeared to show a vehicle submerged in approximately 25 feet of water. The Detective Sergeant coordinated with the Van Buren County Dive Team and supplied the location and images for further investigation.

On March 26, 2026, members of the Van Buren County Dive Team conducted a dive operation on Wolf Lake and successfully located the submerged vehicle. The vehicle was identified as a Dodge Ram pickup that had previously been reported stolen out of Kalamazoo County in October 2025.

During the operation, the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office Drone Team assisted by providing overhead aerial support and safety monitoring for personnel on the water.

Due to being submerged for approximately six months, the vehicle had become a habitat for aquatic life. During recovery operations, dive team members took care to safely return fish and other wildlife back into Wolf Lake.

The investigation remains ongoing.