Police are working to identify human remains recovered from a vehicle whose registered owner is linked to a New Mexico missing-person case.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Human remains found inside a car submerged in a Scottsdale lake may be connected to a New Mexico missing-person case dating back more than a decade, authorities said as investigators work to determine the person’s identity and cause of death.
The vehicle was found Aug. 30 in a lake at McCormick Ranch near McCormick Parkway and Hayden Road. Scottsdale police said the vehicle’s registered owner is linked to a missing-person case from New Mexico in 2015. Authorities have not publicly confirmed that the remains are those of the registered owner, and the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner is working to make an identification.
The discovery began at about 3:30 p.m. when a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office helicopter was circling the area on an unrelated call. The flight crew spotted what appeared to be a vehicle beneath the water and alerted authorities. Scottsdale police took over the investigation and used a drone to confirm that a vehicle was submerged in the lake.
The Sheriff’s Office dive team was then called to assist with recovering the vehicle. Human remains were found inside after the car was removed, according to authorities. The remains were transferred to the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner for examination and identification.
The case took on added significance when investigators determined that the vehicle’s registered owner was connected to a missing-person investigation in New Mexico from 2015. Police have not publicly released the registered owner’s name or identified the specific missing-person case. That means authorities have not yet established publicly whether the person reported missing more than a decade ago is the person whose remains were recovered from the car.
Scottsdale police said there did not appear to be evidence of foul play based on information available as of Friday. That finding could change as investigators receive additional evidence, and the medical examiner has not yet announced the cause or manner of death. Police are handling the death investigation while the identification process continues.
The location of the vehicle has also raised questions about how long it had been beneath the water and how it went unnoticed. The lake is in the McCormick Ranch area near busy roads, homes, hotels and other development. Authorities have not publicly said when they believe the vehicle entered the water or whether investigators have established a timeline for how it got there.
A Scottsdale resident interviewed by Arizona’s Family expressed surprise that a vehicle potentially connected to such an old missing-person case could have remained undiscovered in the area. The resident noted the amount of traffic and activity around McCormick Ranch. Police, however, have not said how long the vehicle was submerged, and no conclusion about its presence in the lake has been announced.
The New Mexico connection remains one of the most important unresolved parts of the investigation. Arizona’s Family reported finding 12 people who were last seen in 2015 among more than 800 people listed in New Mexico’s current missing-person database. Police have not identified which case is linked to the vehicle, making it impossible to determine publicly whether any individual on that list is connected to the remains.
Investigators also have not released information about the circumstances surrounding the registered owner’s disappearance, including where in New Mexico the person was last seen or what authorities believed happened at the time. Without a confirmed identification, officials have not publicly connected the remains to any named missing person.
The medical examiner’s findings will be central to determining the next steps. The office is responsible for confirming the identity of the remains and determining a cause of death. Scottsdale police said the identification process could take time and that additional information would be released when it becomes available.
For now, the recovered vehicle provides a potential connection between a Scottsdale lake and a missing-person investigation that began in New Mexico in 2015. Authorities have not confirmed that the remains belong to the vehicle’s registered owner, and police said there was no apparent evidence of foul play as the medical examiner and investigators continue their work.
Author note: Last updated September 26, 2026.