10 abandoned cars recovered from Ohio River

CINCINNATI (WXIX/Gray News) - A new effort by law enforcement is using technology to solve cold cases, find missing people and clean up the Ohio River.

Whatever lies beneath the river’s silty murk, it’s fewer by 10 abandoned cars as of last Friday, WXIX reported.

That’s how many have been recovered so far in the joint endeavor of the Hamilton County Police Association Dive and Recovery Team, the Cincinnati Police Department and Living Lands & Waters.

The team will work through the week to recover more than a dozen cars currently sitting at the bottom of the Ohio River. The cars were identified using sonar technology.

Since last Friday, the team has scanned 26 miles of the river.

The machinery and expense to retrieve the cars is provided by Living Lands & Waters, a river cleanup operation.

It’s the first partnership between Living Lands & Waters and the police’s dive and recovery team.

Seven police divers are assisting, and the Cincinnati police’s Criminal Investigations Section is providing personnel to process the cars that come up and make sure none are tied to a crime.

Once the cars are out of the water, the officers look up the VINs and thoroughly search the vehicles, attempting to solve missing persons reports or cold cases.

Living Lands & Waters typically focuses on cleaning and maintaining rivers. They said this is their first time teaming up to do a job that involves recovery efforts.

Copyright 2022 WXIX via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.