CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. – Last weekend, a submerged car was retrieved from a pond on private property in the southern part of Camden County. The vehicle has been linked to a missing person, Donnie Erwin.
Erwin was last seen on the morning of December 29, 2013, driving a silver Hyundai Elantra with Missouri license plate MK6-E3P.
In an interview on December 29, 2022, Sergeant Scott Hines from the Camden County Police Department stated that Erwin left his house early in the morning, around 6 a.m., on the day he went missing.
“He went to get cigarettes and never came back,” Hines said. “He did not have his wallet, glasses, or wheelchair. This was concerning as Mr. Erwin was an amputee, missing one leg due to health problems.”
Hines mentioned in the interview that being an amputee affected Erwin’s mood. “He was on several different medications, and that was another concern for us. When he left that morning to go get cigarettes, he didn’t have any of his medication. He needed to have regular doses of prescription medication. He had $14 on a gift card that he was going to use to buy cigarettes, and that card was never used,” said Hines. “So, just without a trace.”
Hines added that there was no evidence during the investigation that Erwin had planned his disappearance.
When last seen, Erwin was wearing a blue coat, blue jeans, and gray loafers. He is missing his left leg above the knee and has a scar on his left arm from the elbow to the wrist. Without his wheelchair, he might be using crutches.
At the time of his disappearance, Erwin was 59 years old. Besides the discovery of the submerged car, no other trace of him has been found.
Investigators continue actively working on the case, processing the vehicle for evidence, and searching the pond and surrounding area for any remains of Erwin.
