‘Grabbed a Handful of Bones’ [WATCH]

Authorities in Suffolk County have confirmed that skeletal remains discovered inside a submerged vehicle off Cedar Beach belong to Robert Long, a Long Island man who vanished nearly 15 years ago, as reported by The New York Post.

Long, 62, was last seen in December 2010 after leaving his home in Mount Sinai to visit a local liquor store. He never returned.

The case went cold until last month when two volunteer divers, Dan Pritchard and Bill McIntosh, located a Chrysler PT Cruiser underwater near the shoreline. The divers were working with the nonprofit group Exploring with a Mission.

Long Island vehicle remains identified as missing man Robert Long – NBC New York https://t.co/eEabQal19L

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The vehicle, which was heavily covered in barnacles, matched the description of the car Long was last seen driving. The divers had been conducting a search using side-scan sonar devices mounted to kayaks and had planned to investigate four different areas.

Cedar Beach was the first site on their list.

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After only a few hours in the water, Pritchard and McIntosh discovered the vehicle. Upon confirming the presence of human remains, they contacted local law enforcement.

Police divers later confirmed the presence of skeletal remains, and the vehicle was removed from the water with a crane.

“I reached in and grabbed a handful of bones, and brought one up to the surface,” Pritchard said. Authorities confirmed Tuesday that the remains were those of Robert Long.

Back in 2010, Long’s wife Joanne had said he left home wearing only his house slippers and the clothes on his back. He had no money with him at the time.

She also told Newsday that her husband had once spoken of taking his own life. “This is totally out of character for him,” she said at the time. “When he did drink, he would get a bottle and come home.”

Employees at the wine shop on Route 25A confirmed that Long had made a purchase that day but described nothing unusual about his behavior.

After confirming the discovery, Pritchard and McIntosh met with Joanne to inform her in person. “It’s obviously a great relief when you identify the vehicle that you’re looking for,” Pritchard told 1010 WINS.

“It is satisfying to know that we can give — as hard as the answers are — to the family.”

McIntosh added, “When you find a person, you bring them home and you’re able to close a chapter in another person’s life, a family’s life — we give them hope.”

The divers plan to continue searching waterways along the East Coast in the coming months. They estimate there may be up to 50 submerged vehicles linked to missing persons cases in the region.

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