10 years after disappearance, ‘the rest’ of missing man’s remains are recovered from pond

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. (KCTV) - The remains of a man missing since 2013 have been fully recovered, bringing closure to his family after a decade of waiting.

Army veteran Donald “Donnie” Erwin, went missing on Dec. 29, 2013, after he left his home to go buy cigarettes and never returned.

Nearly 10 years later, on Dec. 16, 2023, an area property owner contacted the Camden County Sheriff’s Office to notify them that a car had been found at the bottom of their pond.

A freelance videographer had been using a drone over the property to search for Erwin’s remains when they found the car. They contacted the property owner with their discovery.

Later that day, Camden County deputies and crews from the Mid-County Fire Protection District Dive Team went to the pond to investigate. There, they matched the license plate on the car to the plate of Erwin’s missing Hyundai Elantra.

The car was removed from the pond that day and Erwin’s family was notified.

On Dec. 24, 2023, detectives and cadaver dogs returned to the pond to search for human remains. Divers from the Mid County Fire Protection District recovered partial remains and an artificial hip consistent with the one Erwin had.

Detectives believed there were more remains in the pond but needed to drain it to search effectively. Due to heavy snow, ice, and wet weather present at the time, the ground was too soft and they were unable to bring the heavy draining equipment in.

On Friday, Feb. 9, it was determined that the ground was dry enough and the pond was drained.

Crews used “pumps on loan from the Missouri Department of Conservation, the FF14 Volunteer Fire Department and a pumper truck from the Mid-County Fire Protection District.”

During the search, the Camden County Sheriff’s Office said they recovered “what [they] believe to be the rest of Mr. Erwin’s remains” and his family was notified.

“It has taken ten years to recover Mr. Erwin’s remains,” the sheriff’s office said, “And it would not have been possible without the hundreds of law enforcement officers, firefighters, and volunteers who helped conduct searches all over the country. Mr. Erwin’s family has been through a lot, waiting to hear any news of his disappearance.”

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