The weeks-long search for a missing 20-year-old Alliance man came to a heartbreaking turn yesterday when crews pulled a white pickup from Deer Creek Reservoir and found a body inside, according to Alliance police. Volunteer divers and sonar operators had pinpointed the submerged truck near the Price Street boat ramp before authorities hauled it to shore. For now, officials are holding back on publicly confirming the identity while forensic examiners take custody of the remains.
Captain James Hilles told 19 News that volunteer searchers located the white GMC Canyon at around 11:30 a.m. during an underwater drone scan at Deer Creek Reservoir off Price Street. Once the truck was pulled from the water, crews discovered a body inside. Stark County investigators then took custody of the remains for further examination.
A coroner's investigator told the Canton Repository that an examination of the body was scheduled for tomorrow. A doctor will decide whether to transfer the remains to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office for additional study. Authorities say an official identification will not be released until those forensic steps are complete.
How searchers located the pickup
Volunteer teams, including Exploring with the Nug and Adam Brown Adventures, spent yesterday scanning the reservoir and reported finding a submerged vehicle, according to a post reviewed by Jordan Miller News. The group said crews later confirmed the truck belonged to Nathaniel Nate Hang and that human remains were recovered from inside.
"We always hope for a different outcome," the volunteer group wrote, adding that their work is focused on bringing answers and some measure of closure to families who have been waiting for news.
Hang's disappearance and earlier searches
Nathaniel Nate Hang, 20, was reported missing after he left his West Oxford Street home in the early morning hours of June 3 in a white 2010 GMC Canyon, according to the Ohio Attorney General's missing-persons listing. Police previously said Hang left his phone and wallet at home and that he has schizophrenia and other underlying health concerns, details included in a missing-person notice reviewed by News 5.
What's next
Stark County investigators say they expect to use dental records to formally identify the body and that an autopsy will determine cause and manner of death. The body was turned over to the Stark County Coroner's Office, and the examination was scheduled for tomorrow, according to a coroner's investigator cited by the Canton Repository. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Alliance Police Department using the number listed on the Ohio Attorney General's missing persons page.
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