Body found in wrecked truck registered to missing person
A Santa Barbara County sheriff’s helicopter spotted the wreckage of a white Chevy pick-up truck off Highway 154 at around 12:30 p.m. Thursday.
The truck was spotted about 300 feet over the side of Painted Cave Road in very dense brush. California Highway Patrol officers on scene tell NewsChannel 3 they discovered human remains inside the truck. Kelly Hoover with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department told NewsChannel 3 it appears the truck has been there a while and is registered to a person from Santa Barbara who went missing in March 2012.
The Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue team rappelled off the cliff to see what was inside the truck.
Crews also spent several hours using chainsaws to cut away the brush and moving rocks to clear a path so the truck could be retrieved.
After three attempts authorities managed to retrieve the truck and recover the body. The first tow truck’s cable snapped, and the second tow truck was not powerful enough. Crews brought in another tow truck to get the job done in the darkness.
The California Highway Patrol is now in charge of investigating the accident. Investigators will now try to positively identify the remains and figure out what happened.
