The Long Wait: The Recovery of Charles Fluharty

On the morning of October 19, 2014, Charles “Chuck” Fluharty made what would be his final phone call near his apartment at Riverview Towers in East Liverpool, Ohio. The words exchanged in that brief conversation were ordinary, mundane even, yet when the call ended, Chuck disappeared. He was seventy-eight years old, living a life quietly watched over by his caretaker and friend, Gina, who became alarmed when he failed to return home. After a brief period of confusion and worry, Chuck’s sister was contacted, and the wheels of a missing person investigation began to turn.

In the early days, the circumstances were perplexing. Chuck was known to be private and sometimes withdrawn, but there was a darker undertone that only those closest to him understood. Conversations with his aide revealed that Chuck had been struggling with his mental health, harboring thoughts of leaving the world in a place where no one could find him. The Ohio River, which ran past his hometown, soon emerged as a potential location in the minds of detectives—a place vast, deep, and swift enough to conceal a tragedy.

For years, the search yielded no concrete leads. The police relied on standard investigation techniques, checking his last known locations and contacting friends and neighbors, but the trail went cold. It wasn’t until Josh Hammond, a member of Adventures with Purpose, learned of the case that a new wave of hope emerged. The group, dedicated to recovering missing people from bodies of water using sonar and diving techniques, added Chuck’s case to their fall search schedule. They were joined by Chaos Divers, experts in technical underwater recovery. The collaboration would prove essential.

October 5, 2021, marked the culmination of years of uncertainty. The team assembled in East Liverpool, ready to search the Ohio River, armed with boats, sonar equipment, and an unwavering determination. Josh Hammond met with the volunteers, giving them the background information. “Chuck was suicidal,” he said, his tone measured yet heavy with gravity. “His last cell phone pinged off the tower near this area. This is the most likely location.”

The river was alive with movement, its current strong and unyielding, making the recovery operation inherently dangerous. But the volunteers were prepared. Each boat was inspected, sonar units calibrated, and divers suited up in anticipation of hours in cold, murky water. Over the next two days, the teams scoured the river, checking every sonar contact, verifying any anomalies, and ruling out false positives. They discovered a Cadillac along the way, unrelated to the case but linked to a decades-old cold investigation. It required removal, a task the divers executed meticulously, proving the rigor and discipline of the team.

As daylight waned on the second day, their search led them to Yellow Creek, a tributary along Old Route 7. It was here that perseverance met reward. A sonar reading revealed a vehicle lying upside down along the muddy banks. Heart rates surged as Eric dove into the water to assess it. The submerged car was partially silted, wheel upturned, and completely silent. With practiced care, the divers confirmed the identity of the vehicle: a black Chevrolet Z26 Beretta, license plate 755XEL. The discovery instantly transformed years of uncertainty into a tangible moment of truth.

Jacob, one of the divers, took the first plunge to confirm the presence of Chuck inside. Emerging with the license plate in hand, he read it aloud, and the team collectively exhaled. There was no mistaking it; Chuck Fluharty had been found. Local law enforcement was notified, and permissions were granted to retrieve the vehicle safely the following day. That night, the volunteers reviewed plans and discussed logistics for lifting a car trapped under fifteen feet of stone wall and accumulated sediment—a task requiring precision, patience, and teamwork.

Morning broke with a crisp clarity. The team arrived at the riverbank, ropes, tow lines, and lifting bags at the ready. Divers carefully secured the vehicle, ensuring minimal disturbance of silt, aware that one wrong movement could obscure visibility or compromise safety. Eric and Jacob worked in tandem, maneuvering straps around the tires while others onshore guided the lines, coordinating every pull and lift. Slowly, methodically, the submerged car began to rise, inch by painstaking inch. Water cascaded from its windows, mud sloughed off its sides, and finally, the car emerged fully from its watery grave.

Inside, the inevitable truth was confirmed. Chuck had been lost to the river for nearly seven years. The volunteers, though seasoned and professional, felt the weight of emotion that words could scarcely capture. For the first time in nearly a decade, Chuck was coming home, allowing his family to begin the process of mourning and closure. Tears mingled with the spray of the river, a complex mix of grief and relief marking the culmination of years of waiting.

Gina, Chuck’s longtime caretaker, and his sister were present, their expressions a mixture of sorrow, gratitude, and shock. They had spent years imagining all sorts of scenarios, none pleasant, yet hope had never entirely left their hearts. Now, after seven long years, they knew exactly where Chuck had been, and for the first time, they could begin to process their grief and start healing.

The community that had followed the search online and in local media also felt a collective sigh of relief. The story of Chuck Fluharty was no longer a mystery to haunt them; it was a story of resolution, of dedicated volunteers willing to face treacherous conditions to bring closure to a family in pain. The divers’ tireless work had not only recovered a vehicle from the river but had also restored peace to the loved ones of a man who had vanished too soon.

The operation wasn’t without its challenges. The Ohio River’s current was relentless, silt complicated every maneuver, and coordinating between multiple boats and divers demanded constant communication. Yet the volunteers’ commitment never wavered. Every individual—Eric, Jacob, Craig, Jared, and Josh—brought skill, courage, and determination to the mission. Their collaboration epitomized the best of human resolve: confronting danger not for personal gain but to serve a higher purpose, to bring light to a family’s darkness.

By the end of the recovery, the vehicle was transported to the proper authorities, and arrangements were made for Chuck’s final resting place. Legal and procedural matters were handled with sensitivity, ensuring that the family’s wishes were respected. The act of lifting Chuck from the river was more than just a physical endeavor; it was a symbolic gesture, bridging the gap between years of uncertainty and the tangible reality of closure. It was a moment where technology, teamwork, and compassion intersected, yielding an outcome that, for so long, had seemed impossible.

For the volunteers, the case became a testament to the impact of persistence. They had spent countless hours training, planning, and risking personal safety, all to ensure that a missing person would be remembered and returned with dignity. Each individual’s role—from operating sonar to diving into frigid waters—was integral to the success of the operation. The camaraderie among the team reflected a deeper truth: when human beings work together with purpose, even the most challenging obstacles can be overcome.

In the aftermath, the Fluharty family began the delicate work of grieving, honoring, and remembering Chuck. They were supported not only by the volunteers but by a broader community that had watched the search unfold and had invested emotionally in the outcome. The recovery allowed them to replace the haunting questions with tangible memories, the uncertainty with clarity, and the pain of not knowing with the comfort of closure.

Years later, the story of Chuck Fluharty’s disappearance and recovery became a case study in the efficacy of volunteer search-and-recovery missions. It illustrated the necessity of compassion, dedication, and innovation in solving cases that traditional methods could not. Chuck’s story reminded people everywhere of the fragility of life, the importance of mental health awareness, and the profound difference that a determined group of individuals can make in the world.

In the end, the narrative came full circle. Chuck, who had vanished into the depths of the Ohio River, was no longer a mystery. The river, once a symbol of loss and uncertainty, had become the site of his return and the conduit for healing. The volunteers left East Liverpool with a sense of accomplishment tempered by the somber reminder of life’s fragility. For the Fluharty family, closure had finally arrived, seven years after a final phone call that changed everything. And for the community, it was a story of hope, resilience, and the extraordinary impact of human determination.

Charles Fluharty’s story stands as a testament to the intersection of tragedy and perseverance, of mystery and resolution. It is a story that reminds us all: even in the darkest waters, those who search with purpose and courage can bring light to the unknown, and ultimately, bring the missing home.