Just minutes after launching their boat near the Cedar Beach boat ramp in Mount Sinai on Monday, June 30, volunteer searchers from Exploring With a Mission and Adventures With Purpose spotted a shadow on the seabed.
The sonar image showed the unmistakable outline of a Chrysler PT Cruiser — the same vehicle Robert “Bob” Long was driving when he vanished in December 2010, as Daily Voice reported.
“It was pretty evident that we had found Robert Long right away,” volunteer Bill McIntosh said in a recap video the organization posted to YouTube.
Despite heavy boat traffic and a debris-strewn search zone, the dive team quickly zeroed in on the car, anchored it with magnets, and sent in diver “Down Under Dan,” who plunged into murky water with visibility limited to half an arm’s length.
Dan circled the vehicle, reached into the driver’s window, and emerged with what appeared to be a human bone.
The Suffolk County Police Department was called in, and recovery efforts continued into Tuesday, July 1. Additional human remains were recovered by the department’s Marine Bureau before the vehicle was carefully lifted from the water using a crane on a nearby barge — provided free by a local marine company.
The car, heavily encrusted with barnacles and sea grass, was still intact.
“When the police actually removed the vehicle, there were two eels that came out of the front grill," Dan said.
Remarkably, the vehicle had been resting just 55 feet offshore in an area that sees thousands of boats pass through every year.
“Almost over a million people have gone through that boat ramp with their sonar not on,” McIntosh said. “And have gone over that car consistently.”
Robert Long, of Miller Place, was 62 when he disappeared after leaving a Wine & Liquor Store on Dec. 21, 2010. His case remained unsolved until this week’s discovery.
In a Facebook group dedicated to the search for her husband, Joanne Long confirmed the recovery and thanked the community for its years of compassion and support.
“My husband’s remains have been recovered,” she wrote. "I would like to express my gratitude for your unwavering support, dedication, compassion, and respect during these difficult years."
Debbie Diaz echoed the sentiment, personally thanking McIntosh and “Down Under Dan” for bringing them closure after more than a decade of mystery.
“You guys are absolutely amazing,” she said. “We cannot thank you enough.”
The Suffolk County Medical Examiner is working to officially confirm the remains and determine a cause of death.
Meanwhile, the work continues for Exploring With a Mission and Adventures With Purpose. They’re currently embarking on a 50-day multi-state campaign to solve similar cases.
“We want to bring a video out about these people to create awareness for them and their cases and try to, you know, gain more information, answers for the family, and try to bring them home ultimately,” Macintosh said.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Suffolk County Police at 631-852-6392.
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