Page 8 - March 2021 TTI
P. 8
Christians, attended church services held for Almaz and included a side scan sonar. Our firm paid travel costs.
her family, and were quickly accepted into the Later the Ethiopian community took up a collection to
Ethiopian community. make further contributions to the cause.
The detective continued his investigation, checking The investigator identified an area that he believed was
historical data to confirm that a heavy thunderstorm likely for a car to have lost control and plunged into
had moved through the area on the morning that one of the ponds. After the Illinois team arrived with its
Almaz disappeared. Interviews confirmed that the tires sophisticated underwater equipment on Sunday Nov. 9,
on the missing minivan were in poor condition. The it was less than half an hour until a large item was
stretch of road in question had six ponds, swellen due located. A local search and rescue team confirmed that
to the recent heavy rains. it was the van belonging to Almaz, with her body still
in the back of the van. Later the medical examiner ruled
that drowning was the cause of death.
The route had been examined by law enforcement and
photographed from above by media helicopters, but the
investigator was not satisfied.
With few investigative leads remaining, the detective This is never the ending that anyone wants to see at the
brought in Team Watters Sonar Search & Recovery, conclusion of a missing person case, but the case was
Inc. founded by Dennis and Tammy Watters of Moro, resolved. Countless hours were spent that were never
Illinois, a non-profit company already known to our billed, because that is what happens when you work on
Dallas investigators. a missing person case. You get involved and you just
cannot turn it off. Even in this day of quick cyber and
internet investigations, there are still assignments that
call for perseverance and some good old fashioned
detective work.
About the Author:
Kelly E. Riddle, president of Kelmar Global, is a Texas Certified
Investigator, a member of the Council of International Investigators,
and a Board Accredited Investigator. He is a past president of the Texas
Association of Licensed Investigators and a member of several
professional associations, including the Association of Christian
Investigators, which he founded. He can be reached at
[email protected] or (210) 342-0509.
Since 1995, the Watters team located and assisted in Team Watters Sonar Search & Recovery, Inc.
the recovery of close to 100 people who were lost in Dennis and Tammy Watters are based in Moro, Illinois, and have
rivers, lakes, and ponds around the country. The volunteers and specialized equipment based in Florida. They began
Watters team volunteers its time and equipment, which their non-profit in 2005 and Almaz was their 75th recovery. They can
be reached at [email protected] or (618) 377-4767.
6 | MARCH 2021 THE TEXAS INVESTIGATOR
