The body of a teen who has been missing for days was found, northwest Indiana police said Thursday.
The body of Rodrigo Montes, 18, of Lake Station was found about 11:20 a.m. Thursday, after a lengthy and extensive operation, Lake Station police said.
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The Indiana Department of Natural Resources Dive Team found the body, police said.
The teen was last seen at a gathering Sunday night.
Montes’ family says the River Forest High School senior told them he was getting a ride home from a friend early Monday.
Hours later, Lake Station police say, a truck was found submerged in the Deep River near 27th Avenue and Wyoming Street just before 4:30 a.m. Monday. Police said “a male subject” was believed to have been inside.
The man’s family says the truck belonged to his friend.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office said it responded to the area of 29th Avenue and Wyoming Street in Lake Station to recover Montes’ body.
An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.
A suspect is in custody with charges pending, police said.
“The City of Lake Station extends its deepest condolences to the family members affected by this tragedy,” police said.
Montes’ family said they spoke with the man’s friend.
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“The vehicle was submerged and he supposedly walked home. He didn’t tell anybody about the accident. And now, he’s denying that he’s ever been involved,” said Saul Montes, Rico’s brother.
Chopper 7 captured video of dive teams in the water as Montes’ family and friends conducted an hours-long search on the ground. A black pickup truck could be seen upside-down in the water.
Montes’ family was just starting to plan his high school graduation party.
“Rico’s been the baby of the family. He’s the littlest one,” Saul Montes said.
His family released a statement Thursday that said:
“We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our entire community for coming together with strength, support, and determination in the search for Rodrigo. Your prayers, shares, and efforts truly made a difference during such a difficult time. Today, March 26th, the Indiana State Dive Team was able to locate Rodrigo. While this is not the outcome we had hoped for, we are grateful that the family can now begin to find closure. Please continue to keep his loved ones in your thoughts and prayers as they navigate this unimaginable loss.”
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North Carolina mother who was missing for 24 years reunites with daughter
Marlene Lenthang
3 min read
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North Carolina mother who was missing for 24 years reunites with daughter
For over two decades, Amanda Smith wondered what happened to her mother, who disappeared 24 years ago in North Carolina. In a twist out of Hollywood, she had an emotional reunion Thursday with her mother, who for years didn’t want to be found.
Michele Hundley Smith was 38 when she was reported missing in December 2001, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina said. In February, she was found “alive and well” in the state following a tip.
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On Thursday, the moment Amanda dreamed of for years came true.
The two reunited outside the Rockingham County district courthouse, where her mother was set to appear.
Michele Hundley Smith was found alive 24 years after she was reported missing and was reunited Thursday for the first time with one of her daughters, Amanda Smith. (WXII)
(WXII)
Smith walked toward her daughter with open arms and held her in a long, tight embrace. She complimented her daughter’s hair and kissed her.
“Oh, I know everything is not black and white. There’s a whole gray area,” Amanda Smith told NBC affiliate WXII of Winston-Salem. “Life’s too short for me to hold a grudge against her because she’s my mom.”
“We only get one life, and I want my mom in it,” she told the station.
Days after she was located, Smith was arrested on an outstanding order related to her failing to appear in court 25 years ago. That order was in connection with a driving while intoxicated charge issued Nov. 11, 2001, by the Eden Police Department.
Her daughter accompanied her to her arraignment Thursday. During the hearing, Smith requested a court-appointed attorney, and her next court date is set for April 23, the sheriff’s office said.
Amanda Smith. (WXII)
(WXII)
It’s not clear why Smith left her life behind all those years ago.
She was last known to have left home on Dec. 9, 2001, headed to a K-Mart in Martinsville, Virginia, for Christmas shopping and never returned, the sheriff’s office said.
After she was found, she indicated to authorities that there were “domestic issues” and that she left on her own accord, Rockingham County Sheriff’s Capt. Jonathan Cheek has said. The sheriff’s office had no records related to such issues before she departed.
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Smith had asked that her location not be disclosed, including to her family members who were notified that she had been found, the office said.
Smith has two daughters and a son, Amanda said on Facebook in 2021.
Michele Hundley Smith. (WXII)
(WXII)
For more than 20 years, Amanda didn’t lose hope. She ran a Facebook page asking for information and sharing personal reflections on missing her mother.
Last month, after her mother was found, Amanda posted on the Facebook page: “I will say that my mother chose her new life and we know she is alive, and for now that is enough.”
She said that her family was “hurting” and that her father suffered as the target of “many accusations since all the way back then.”
News
18-year-old Rico Montes left something behind in the truck before it was found badly mangled and overturned. That single piece of evidence is now working against the driver. How does a truck flip violently and end up submerged… while the driver only has minor injuries and simply walks away, leaving his passenger behind?
Body of missing Indiana high school student found in river; suspect in custody Andy Koval Updated: Mar 26, 2026 / 05:41 PM CDT Rico Montes LAKE STATION, Ind. — The body of 18-year-old Rodrigo “Rico” Montes was found Thursday morning close to the crash site in the river. Montes’ body was found around 50 feet from […]
Before leaving the house, 18-year-old Rodrigo “Rico” Montes said something to his mother that she’ll never forget. That same night, the truck he was riding in was found badly crumpled after a serious crash… But Rico was nowhere to be found. Following up on what he told his mom, the FBI just showed up at a house…
Body of missing Indiana high school student found in river; suspect in custody Andy Koval Updated: Mar 26, 2026 / 05:41 PM CDT Rico Montes Subscribe Now Missing Newsletter Submit LAKE STATION, Ind. — The body of 18-year-old Rodrigo “Rico” Montes was found Thursday morning close to the crash site in the river. Montes’ body was […]
An 18-year-old boy sent a text to his mom after he had already gone missing in a mysterious crash. Even though the wrecked truck was still sitting at the scene, Rodrigo “Rico” Montes somehow reached out… And just 10 minutes ago, the FBI showed up.
LAKE STATION, Ind. – The body of a missing northwest Indiana high school senior has been recovered days after a crash that left a pickup truck overturned in a river. What we know The Indiana Department of Natural Resources Dive Team located the body of Rodrigo “Rico” Montes, 18, around 11:20 a.m. Thursday following an extensive search. […]
“Mom, I’m riding home with a friend, see you soon.” Those were the last words 18-year-old high school senior Rodrigo “Rico” Montes sent to his mother. He never made it home past his 11 p.m. curfew. Now, just 10 minutes ago, police released an official update with a shocking new theory that has everyone talking.
In the small communities of Hobart and Lake Station, Indiana, the search for 18-year-old Rodrigo “Rico” Montes has shifted from rescue to a deepening mystery laced with suspicion. What started as a simple Sunday night cookout among friends has become a troubling case marked by an overturned truck in Deep River, an empty vehicle, and […]
She had just stepped onto the plane when the flight attendant walked up and told her she needed to get off immediately. The reason? They claimed she was too large for a standard seat. Then she made one quick phone call… and just 10 minutes later, the same flight attendant said something that left everyone stunned.
L: A Southwest Airlines plane; R: Customer Ruby Cosby.Credit : Getty ; WSMV 4 Nashville/Youtube A Nashville woman is speaking out after an experience with Southwest Airlines reportedly left her with a canceled ticket and nearly caused her to miss her connection to Los Angeles. Ruby Cosby tells local outlet WSMV she was attempting to board a flight […]
A Black woman says Southwest Airlines canceled her ticket after telling her she was too large for one seat. She’s now speaking out, saying she feels deeply humiliated by the way she was treated. But the CCTV footage from the gate tells the full story… and it’s not what most people expected.
L: A Southwest Airlines plane; R: Customer Ruby Cosby Credit: Getty ; WSMV 4 Nashville/Youtube NEED TO KNOW Ruby Cosby says a Southwest Airlines agent canceled her ticket after they refused to let her board without an extra seat The agent allegedly cited the airline’s new “customers of size” policy, but Cosby says she can […]
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