The man found dead inside a submerged vehicle in a retention pond Tuesday near Loop 820 just north of the Trinity River in Fort Worth has been identified as a Hurst resident, police said.
Hurst police said 31-year-old Jose Anguiano-Perez has last been seen at his apartment Dec. 30 by a co-worker and was reported missing after he failed to show up for work later that day.
Emergency crews were called Tuesday about 5:30 p.m. after two young men noticed the vehicle in the water, swam to check it out and found the deceased person inside.
“It’s pretty rare to get a call like this or to find something like this,” said Kyle Clay, with the Fort Worth Fire Department. “Typically we get a call after the fact, after somebody went off the road or off the bridge.”
Police said it's too early to know whether foul play was involved or if it was an accident. But homicide detectives are investigating this case.
“This is a crime scene. We need to keep and preserve that crime scene,” said Clay.
While it's still early in the investigation, investigators think the truck possibly drove off Loop 820 and dropped 30 feet down to the water. Nobody reported seeing the crash happen or the truck in the water until the teenagers found the truck.
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“It was a bystander who swam out to the truck and confirmed there was somebody inside,” said Clay.
Emergency crews closed the northbound side of Loop 820 for about an hour Tuesday night while they removed the truck with a crane.
