Hoping to finally uncover details pertaining to her father’s disappearance, Pamela Shook Kolbe sought out the help of Caldwell County Sheriff detectives. Forty-three years ago, Amos Shook went missing after going out for a date, and despite various attempts of discovering what had happened to the man, investigators weren’t capable of finding his remains until now.
Intrigued by information that Pamela Shook Kolbe brought the detectives, including accounts of failed attempts at dragging the lake at the foot of the North Carolina mountains, authorities decided to use sonar technology to search again for Shook’s car.
Authorities proceeded to search Lake Rhodhiss with technology that hadn’t been available at the time of Shook’s disappearance and. They discovered a 1968 Pontiac which they pulled out of the lake’s waters on July 21st.
The vehicle contained remains of what authorities to be the late Amos Shook, as well as a wallet with well-preserved ID cards also belonging to the missing war veteran. The car model matched the description of the car that Shook’s model
“We found a wallet and some ID cards in it. It amazed us how preserved that stuff was,” Sheriff Alan Jones reports.
On the night of his disappearance, Pamela, who at the time was only 14 years old, didn’t think much of her father’s tardiness. It was only the next morning that she began to question whether something had happened to him.
The family will have to wait for the official autopsy report in order to finally have closure after 43 years of uncertainty. Despite the fact that all circumstantial evidence points to Mr. Shook being the driver in the recovered car, conclusive evidence will have to come from dental records or DNA analysis.
At the time of his disappearance, Sook was 44 years old and had retired from the US Air Force. He served as a staff sergeant.
Photo credits: ABC News