Nearly 40 years later, man’s truck and remains found in lake, 42 feet under
By Ted Scouten
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BROWARD COUNTY, Florida (WFOR) — For nearly 40 years, a Sunrise lake concealed the fate of a missing man.
This past weekend, divers from Sunshine State Sonar located Howard Gratteau’s truck and remains in 42 feet of water near Interstate 75 and Southwest 14th Street, bringing long-awaited answers to his family and friends.
Family finds relief after decades
“I miss him a lot,” said Howard’s sister, Beverly Douglas. She said her family is relieved to finally have some answers after decades of uncertainty.
“You always hold on this little bit of hope that he didn’t, that he went to Canada or something, and he’s still living, and someday he’s going to walk in the door. Now that’s all gone,” she said.
Divers locate truck in lake
While Davie police work to confirm the identity, divers found strong evidence pointing to Gratteau. Mike Sullivan, who has been searching since 2022, described the discovery:
“It was almost like a time capsule from 1986,” Sullivan said. The vehicle’s tag matched records, and the company name on the side further confirmed the find.
“So we start scraping the door, cleaning the door off, took a little bit, and eventually we could start to see the letters B and H, and we realized that was going to be him,” Sullivan said.
Investigators believe Gratteau went off the road at a curve and into the lake, leaving family and friends to wonder what had happened for decades.
Community members react
Cassidy Bacon, a family friend who never met Gratteau but heard stories about him growing up, expressed relief at the resolution.
“I always wondered about him,” she said. Her grandfather had been Gratteau’s business partner and in-law.
“He just deserved at least to be laid to rest and to know what happened to him,” Bacon said.
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