Human Remains Found In Submerged Car Linked to 45-Year-Old Cold Case

The automobile of a missing Georgia college student was recovered in an Alabama stream, along with his wallet, ID card, and suspected human remains.

Kyle Wade Clinkscales, an Auburn University student, was last seen driving back to Auburn, Georgia in his 1974 Ford Pinto on the night of January 27, 1976, according to Troup County, Georgia, Sheriff James Woodruff, who gave a press conference this past Wednesday.

The 22-year-old never showed up to his Alabama school, and neither did the vehicle — until now.

“For 45 years, we have searched for Kyle and his car. We have followed hundreds of leads and never really had anything substantial develop from those leads,” Woodruff said.

Local law officers identified the car as a white Pinto with a Troup County license plate after pulling it from the water.

According to Woodruff, local officials called the Troup County Sheriff’s Office, which ran the plate number through its system and discovered that it was Clinkscales’ vehicle.

The roof of the automobile “has entirely” rusted away, according to Woodruff, but officials did find a wallet, credit cards, Clinkscales’ ID, and bones.

The suspected human remains are now being tested to determine that they are Clinkscales.

“We believe those to be human in nature. We’ve called in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. They are currently at our facility taking that car apart and if they can, looking at what’s in it to determine how many bones are in there and if they are indeed his bones,” Woodruff added.

Back when Clinkscales first went missing, the student was suspected to have been killed, according to police.

“Just the fact that we have hopefully found him and the car brings me a big sigh of relief,” Woodruff said

In 2005, after the missing man’s parents got a call from someone claiming to have witnessed individuals dispose of their son’s body around the time of his disappearance, two people were then jailed for making false claims about the case.

Authorities still hold out hope of solving how Clinkscales died.