JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ohio (WTRF) The car and the bodies of the two missing persons, Joni Davis and Brian Goff, were discovered by divers in the Ohio River in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Their bodies were reportedly inside the car, with their seat belts still on.
The couple disappeared on June 10, 2018, after eating dinner at the St. Clairsville Pizza Hut.
In the days afterward, it became apparent that they’d been the victims of foul play.
Today, Belmont County Sheriff Dave Lucas and Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla spent the day at the scene, on old Route 7 in Jefferson County.
Both of their departments have been involved in the investigation along with the FBI.
The FBI and an Ohio BCI Crime Scene Unit are on the scene also.
7News has learned that a team of divers known for solving cold cases and posting their work on YouTube named, Chaos Divers, found the light blue Oldsmobile 88 in a shallow portion of the river in the early morning hours.
Car found in the Ohio River with body inside previously registered to missing East Liverpool man
The process of bringing the car up out of the river has been tedious and time-consuming.
An industrial-size tow truck has been set up along the edge of the road but the car reportedly had to be wrapped in large protective tarps so it wouldn’t break during the lift, compromising any evidence.
The road has been closed by ODOT since before noon.
Joni Davis’ sister and brother-in-law have been on the scene all day.
Several relatives of Brian Goff arrived in mid-afternoon.
After three years and five months, there is finally a break in this case.
The Belmont and Jefferson County sheriffs held a joint press conference just before 4 p.m. today.