Missing since March, Ohio man found dead in car submerged in large reservoir

DELAWARE, Ohio (WCMH) — A Delaware man missing since March has reportedly been found dead in a car submerged in a large body of water.

According to Chaos Divers, 21-year-old Trenton Rollins was found dead after a vehicle was pulled out of Hoover Reservoir, located northeast of Westerville and south of Galena.

In efforts to search for Rollins, who was last seen on March 21, rescuers from Chaos Divers entered the Hoover Reservoir Monday morning at the Red Bank boat ramp, near Sunbury and Maxtown Roads. Heading north, Chaos Divers, a search and rescue company hired by Rollins’ family, said it detected an object with it’s sonar equipment.

Divers Lindsay Bussick and Jacob Grubbs reported on their YouTube channel that they then contacted Delaware and Columbus police, as open waters owned and operated within the city of Columbus cannot be investigated by anyone outside of Columbus jurisdiction.

Bussick said that divers located a dark-colored BMW resting on its back on Tuesday. It was brought over to Sunbury bridge where officers confirmed it was Rollins’ missing vehicle. Inside the vehicle was Rollins, who was reportedly driving a dark blue 2018 BMW 430i the day he went missing.

“During the recovery, human remains were recovered from the vehicle. Early examination suggests they are consistent with Mr. Rollins,” the City of Delaware said in a statement. “The remains were transported to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office for autopsy, formal identification, and additional forensic testing for indications of cause and manner of death.”

The Columbus Division of Police, which assisted Chaos Divers and Delaware police in the recovery, confirmed Rollins’ discovery. Police did not share any additional details on the recovery of Rollins, who lived with his mother, Brandi Rollins Greer, in Delaware. Rollins’ discovery was also confirmed in a social media post by Greer.

“Trenton, along with his vehicle, has been located and recovered by Chaos Divers. Even after 267 days, our hearts are heavy with grief,” Greer said. “Trenton’s presence brought light, laughter, and love to all who knew him. Though he is no longer with us, his memory shines brightly in our hearts, and the love he gave will never be forgotten.”

At the time he was reported missing, his sister, Kaitlynn Harvey, said his absence was out of character and his last known location was on Sunbury Road the morning of March 16.

A Ring camera recorded him leaving home at around 4 a.m. when he was seen wearing a black hooded jacket, black pants and a black book bag, before leaving in his BMW. Police later discovered he stopped by a Sheetz on Sunbury Road in Delaware and bought a snack.

Rollins’ family also learned that hours before he was reported missing, his car was seen on a security camera at his mother’s place of work, which was also his place of employment up until a few weeks before his disappearance. His face could not be seen on the footage; just his car pulling out of the lot was captured, according to Harvey. He did not make any known contact with anyone inside, but his phone’s IP address was detected at the location from about 8 to 9 a.m., Harvey said.

At around noon that afternoon, his phone’s IP address was located in the approximate area of North Sandusky Street in Downtown Delaware, according to Harvey.

“Basically, he was out there and since then has literally vanished,” Harvey said.