SOLVED 21 Year Old Missing Persons Case (Erin Foster & Jeremy Bechtel) 

WE ARE AN OFFICIAL NONPROFIT! Go check out our new website and show your support! www.rapidcc.org

Can you imagine how many times their family and friends drove by that location not knowing they were just there?

The father told in an interview that he had been fishing on that spot for years. On a boat right over the car. That is a tough one. The amount of emotions when realising that your child was right next to you all those years I cannot even begin to imagine.

I spent 34 years as a Law Enforcement officer. You cannot put into words the meaning of finally recovering a long lost loved one for the families. I cannot imagine the hell the parents of these kids went through for over 20 years. Good job brother.

As a retired law officer, I can’t begin to describe the tremendous responsibility you take on with cases like this or unsolved homicides. So many years where they never leave your mind - even long after you retire. You never forget them and want nothing more than to bring them home/catch those responsible. That relief was evident here and I’m so happy for everyone. Great job. *daughters account so won’t respond to comments

I just like how the cops were so appreciative that you located them. Cause the guys at Adventure with purpose don’t always get nice cops

Its terrifying to me that you could go missing in 10 feet of water and your family never know what happened to you. Thank you for bringing the families some sort of closure.

People always say “The internet is a bad place” Then I see him doing this kind of stuff ❤❤❤

This is easily the most iconic moment of any of the diving recoveries on RU-vid, imo, and that includes AWP who started it all. As a yankee from Minnesota, I remember this case from back in the day when it was all over the media during the early aughts and also remember how it was so terrifying because it was two high school kids who just seemingly went *poof* and disappeared forever.

Not gonna lie, but when the police officer walked up with arms open, I felt a little hope for humanity. Great job guys. Love brought them home

OMG !! 20 years and only one man with persistance and limited resources solved the case and brought closure to the families. Extraordinary job ... well done man.

Imagine being the parent and seeing this car for the first time in 20 years. Things like touching the door handle to get in would mean so much. First video watched and I’m hooked. Love your work brother

I love when the cop Excitedly said we’ve been looking for these kids forever! So awesome to have their support

Know what I love about you? No showboating, no drama, just you doing what you love, helping others, solving mysteries and doing it with humility. Never change.

I like this guy, not pretentious or moody. He's talkative but not overly dramatic and he explains his process. I like Mr. Nug alot.

I'm from Australia and honestly never heard of this case, but the moment he said its them, let's bring them home, the tears just started falling out of my face, you are a true hero, much love to their families and may they RIP

This is a sensitive topic to cover. Very well done; thorough, professional and appropriately edited. Thank you sir for your efforts.

He's Doing The Governments Job And Risking His Life For This Type Of Content,Massive Respect Dude.

"They're missing over 20 years. They're going home." That line, with that music and pictures...what a beautiful ending for a such sad story. May they rest in peace.

I can’t believe I’m watching this again but it’s so good. The moment where Jeremy finds it and then the moment where the detective comes out. It’s just so beautiful. It’s also very sad but after over 2 decades I’m sure the family was very grateful for the answers. This is probably the best missing persons video of all time. Over 8 million views!

Love that he hugged you first❤

I can’t imagine how this must have felt, when you surfaced and said “They’re going home” I just lost it. You’re out here doing the work of saints. I hope you’ll be able to do this for many more years. So much respect for you, please take care. ❤️

When that officer hugged you, my heart just broke! You just know that case would have haunted him to the grave ,had they not been found! You sir, are a hero in the purest form! ❤

I just stumbled upon this video. You single handily brought them home. You gave 2 families answers they were waiting for 20 years for ❤ you’re incredible.

I saw this 9 months ago and I came across this video again today and watched it again. It still had me in tears a second time. Jeremy you did an incredible and a very respectful job. I would definitely give you a hug and handshake if I ever crossed paths with you. There no words to describe the closure you gave these families and the towns people.I'm sure it was long overdue. God bless both of their souls. 🙏

I lost a child in 2001. I know what happened to him so I cannot imagine the depths of despair these two families must have been in for 20 plus years. My prayers are with the families that can now have some closure. This is a big thing you did here sir. You are proving my point that nobody just disappears without a trace. I hope that you get a lot of subs out of this and can get funded to do more of these types of things. We all need closure. Thank you for your work.

Thank you, sir. Jeremy Bechtel was my nephew. You have no idea how much this means for his family. I live in New Mexico now, but my son called me to give me the news. I was in shock but also relieved. Thank you so much.

Are you kidding me you’re amazing. Keep helping families find their loved ones.

I can't imagine what their parents went through getting that news after 20 years. That man is wonderful for finding them and bringing their family closure. Beautiful.

Erin’s grandfather was enormously grateful that she was found.

A small town sheriff who really cares about his community and the cold case. Heartwarming to see a man that truly serves his community.

I'm a 61 Year old man and I'm sitting here crying like a new born baby Jeremy God bless you 🙏

Well done Jeremy. The case of a lifetime handled with dignity and respect.

Jeremy- a man who listened to his inner voice telling him he could do more than search for treasures.

The cop you first met seems like a very good cop. The fact that he still cares so much after 21 years is really rare.

Best response from a Sheriff dept I’ve ever seen. Ego was set aside because they clearly understood the most important thing was finding these two young adults. Amazing job.

What a horrible dam shame, those two kids losing their lives like that. Rest In Peace

God I love how the sheriff gave him his props. And the first thing he did was give him a hug. Literally starting tearing up. He didn't let his ego get in the way and validated someone else finding them. I've been watching these recovery videos lately, and some law enforcement have huge egos and are the polar opposite of how this fine sheriff acted. Props, and I'm glad you brought closure to this case and family.

I've been a public safety diver for many years and I can understand how you feel when it comes to wanting to locate these young people however, I have one word of advice. No matter how experienced you are and how confident you feel in the water, please stop diving alone. I have recovered too many bodies who solo divers. Many of them were recreational divers who thought it was no big deal to go diving alone and were in water that seemed to be 'safe' with good visibility, no major currents or other observable hazards but still something happened and it cost them their lives. I have even had to recover bodies of professional divers with years of experience. Compared to diving in water where visibility is almost zero, even if it is shallow, there are unknown hazards where you could get snagged or you could have a medical emergency, your boat could have capsized, etc. I may be wrong, but it appears by this video no one knew exactly where you were until you contacted the sheriff. Did you notify anyone else of where you would be diving and what time you should be back? If something had happened to you and you needed help, how long would it have been before someone would have noticed you were missing? Not trying to be jerk about this but, the first thing taught to all divers is personal safety. Just trying to look out for you and I do appreciate you were able to put closure to this case for the families. Stay safe.

That "What?...." from the sheriff gets me every time.

Cried over this. Thank you for bringing them back home. Now, they can rest in peace. Condolence to both their families.

I'm not usually an overly emotional man but when he was looking at that license plate and said "its them.. they're coming home" , it felt like I got hit in my chest and my eyes teared up something serious... It's incredible what your doing man, just incredible, really.

I remember when these kids went missing. I was living in Memphis at the time. It was all over the local news outlets and papers. I even rember seeing the missing person posters around town. Good to see the families got closure after all these years. Good work man.

That sheriff was so cool about it all. Most of these videos I watch the cops are so pissed about having to do their job when someone finds a gun or body or car or something 🤦‍♂️ it’s so good to see one of them thankful for your help and not being upset about doing their job for once.

I can only imagine all the conspiracy theories their disappearance would have spawned, especially in a small town. This is some much needed closure for the families.

This man has found so many missing people. He's a true hero. Truly and honestly

These police officers are amazing. They didn’t mind congratulating him and thanking him for his help. He’s quite a hero in my eyes.

This is one of the most raw and natural videos I've seen. I've watched it probably 15 times. Thank you for your dedication to the missing!!

Prayers for the family for answers and justice. Thank you for helping the family. Hope everyone had a good day.

We have a grandma missing here in Minnesota. We know she is in water somewhere but the route she took there are hundreds of potentials. She has been missing for 20 years. I have seen her husbands car around town with a handmade sign that says "what happened to grandma". It breaks my heart. Excellent job, and your editing was spot on. Thank you very much.

Heartbreaking. I'm a 55year old man sitting here with tears rolling down my face. At least the families now know what happened. Tragic, but a great job by Jeremy.

you are such an amazing person, giving so many families ,the return of their loved ones. Respect form Cornwall uk

Thank you for not giving up on them. For 20 years they have been alone now they can finally be at peace and go home God bless u and please don’t stop. Looking for the lost souls tha need to go home

I absolutely love how the Sheriff hugged him and congratulated him. He didn't get an attitude and they were just genuinely happy that they have been found. Well done gentlemen.

I knew the Foster family after Erin went missing. They were definitely broken. I was in their lives briefly. I dated Erin's brother. THANK YOU SO MUCH for bringing some closure to the Foster family. Erin's parents are precious people and my heart breaks for them. -Tiffany

When the sheriff called headquarters and said _“We_ found them.” Nope. Understandably, he was elated, but only Nug found them, and all by himself, too. This is the only search outfit & show that I’ve seen of this kind where there isn’t a team. It’s brave and amazing to do this work solo, but do please be careful, Mr. Jeremy.❤️‍🔥

I just want to say you are doing a great service to these families own closing the mysteries on lost loved ones. Keep up the great work.

Jeremy, my wife and I moved to Sparta in 2004 and we raised our family here. This community is like one huge family, throughout the town, and county. We had heard the story about the two teenagers over the years, and have come to feel like we knew them by being apart of this community. We know their families and know they are grateful, as is our whole community family for your dedication and giving back the families their loved ones. Thank you brother, you have truly made a difference in this world, especially here in Sparta, where you’ll always be welcomed with open arms and family that will do anything they can for you!

"IT'S THEM, THEY'RE COMING HOME" - Jeremy. Hit right in the feels that. Well done for bringing these two back to their families after a long 20 years.

What a gift you have given the friends and families of the two young ones. Thank you for all of your time and energy devoted to helping others. You also did something for the community when no one else was able to.❤

Good on you, sir! Heartbreaking that this was the outcome from all of this, but the kids can be laid to rest & there’s gotta be comfort in knowing that they’ve been found! My condolences to family/friends from Kentucky ❤️‍🩹

“This isn’t about me this is about getting them home” the humbleness to that statement after making a huge discovery is what got me. You are amazing.

Thank you so much for your work. Jeremy is my cousin's son. His disappearance pretty much destroyed her. She passed away a couple of years ago, hopefully they're reunited and at peace now. It's good to finally have some closure after all these years. Thank you again.

So happy you found them. It amazes me that the local people can do this, over the course of 21 years. It takes one diver to end it all.

Glad we have someone like you on earth

This whole movement with RU-vid divers looking for missing loved ones is just awesome! You're doing great work

I've seen a lot of comments about the car being found just 12/13 feet under the surface and just off the road, someone should have seen it. It's so much more than just that. The water here, as someone else said, is very muddy and you can hardly see 2 feet much less 13 but more than that the water hasn't been this low in a very very long time. Hwy 84 is a busy road. We have a very slow speed limit, there are bike races here every year, kayaks and fisherman are on that very stretch every week and many of us have driven back and forth on that road many times over the course of 20 years and no one recalls brake marks, torn limbs or grass and no one certainly saw the car. The water on Hwy 84 is usually close enough to the road that when it finally does rain we end up with road flooding and having to shut parts of that road down. There are NOT guard rails on much of it and those that are there have sunken so deeply you'd just flip over them. As for the previous Sheriff who "promised" to find them, if you look up Oddie Shoupe in the news, you can see for yourself he was not at all concerned with finding them or looking for the truth. Even though Sheriff Page has said he felt they'd looked in the wrong area and Erin's family went to church with him, he never used any sort of sonar or resources to look for them there. Likely, we don't have them. It took 10 years before we were awarded a traffic light at the least dangerous intersection in town, while the dangerous one just feet away still takes lives. They'd have spent 20 years just voting for someone to research sonar. And I don't know who on earth said they ran off to FL but those even remotely familiar with either of them said that was BS, we knew that all those years ago. I didn't know Erin and I only knew Jeremy as a friend of my sister and her friends, and I think his mother passed a few years ago but I'm certain all of their remaining family and friends are forever grateful. They never stopped looking. A lot of us would still post and repost things looking for a clue to help find them and it took one wonderful soul to travel from GA to give them answers. Thank you!!

The peace of mind that you have given their families is priceless. What you're doing is amazing. 🙏

I am a former detective, I work missing person, and no, I didn't get my 20 and retired, I burn out working cases after 11 years, and what you are doing here are very noble, and I wish I have someone like you when I was working missing persons maybe I wouldn't burn out working cases, and I admire how you do this for the family and didn't ask for a cent back and bring them closure. We need more people like you. On the other hand, I want to address the question about how LE can't find them when they are 13 ft off the water. First of all, it may have been 13 ft, but river like that the mud and debris in the river bed, you may as well be in a 100 ft of water, because you aren't going to see anything anyway, it's not like it's clear running water in one of those national geographic episodes, as you can see from this video when he dive into the river, you can't see 5 ft in front of you. Another issue here is small PD like Sparta, TN, budget is very tight, small PD are always like this, you may think Police and Law Enforcement have unlimited resource but in reality, small PD like this wouldn't have 100k to do this and search the river up and down, if they have to do it, it's either coming out of their pocket or get help from TBI or TN State Trooper, I am not too sure if their county sheriff also have the resource to pull this off, and running a PD is not at all cheap, I used to work for a PD who only have 7 people, 5 of them certified LE officer and it cost over 2 mil to run a year, and those money they need to hire those equipment just weren't there, and it will take them ages to ask for TBI or State Trooper to either get the money or get the equipment to do this because every county and every city have their own case they are going to need help with. If Explore with Nug was not doing it for free, chances are Sparta PD may wait up to 10 years just to get this request thru, by then a lot can change. On the other hand, small PD like this means sometimes they are doubling or tripling their duty, it's not uncommon to work a few case at the same time, so there aren't just time to go back and think things over if you are knee deep in several different case that required your attention, meaning you either make the right direction in maybe 10 week working on a single case and you solve it, or not at all and it went unsolved, and the more you do have unsolved case the more case load you get because it just not going away, by the time you (or I in this case) knows it, you have 20 cases without direction at the same time and that's how cops get burn out. People need to understand when they call for defunding the police, this is where the funding goes, not all of the money goes into buying shiny new gears or firearms or police car, most of the budget goes into hiring people and training people for their job, and without these funding we are going to need to fall back on non-profit like this, or you are not going to get anything done, so next time people thinking of pulling funding off PD, think about this case, and how this close to never getting solve.

The way those officers made it known how much they appreciate you is everything. So glad you can help provide closure and answers to someone’s family

I love how friendly the cops were with you, too often they seem to get pissy with other divers who do the same work. It's a relief to see them accept the help and remember what is important

Amazing work you're doing for these families. It's a real tragedy how many lives could have been spared if local councils, municipalities or States bothered to install sufficient signage, fencing and illumination of boat ramps and roads ending in bodies of water.

“Their goin home” hit hard

As a close friend of Jeremy, it brings to a close of knowing what happened to them and why we couldn't find d them. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for what you do.

I can't help but wonder how many times their families have driven down that road, right past them while wondering what happened to them.

RU-vid suggested you to me from another similar (and bigger) channel, I admire that you go out solo with limited resources, and lots of preparation off-camera. I am a dive instructor and I know how clumsy and time consuming to prepare and finish a dive. The time and effort you put into cases simply came out of your ambition to help. Instead of using a big crew to document a grant rescue story, I believe that your emotion is genuine, and mostly captured in POV is more involving to viewers. good job and may God bless you.

Thanks to people like you and Jared with AWP families are getting answers and loved ones are going home. Bless you

I love how you said, when you found the car, "They're coming home" Not, "I found it" but " They're coming home". I LOVE THAT! And I LOVE your channel. Keep it up!!!!

Garmin needs to sponsor this guy! Keep this guy updated with the latest equipment to help him find more cold cases like this one.

Thank you for doing this. It was refreshing to watch someone just be real and not overly dramatic like some are. You are appreciated.

This is touching to see people out helping others find peace. Thank you for helping this family bring their loved ones home to give them a proper resting place.

As a parent I cant imagine the utter hell these parents have gone through, wondering where their children are. Tonight they have answers, they know that a tragic accident ended the many Hope's and dreams these teenagers had, they know where their babies are, and at last they can lay them to rest. Jeremy "Nug" you are a hero. Your compassion and big heart pushed you on, and you have brought that whole town, the answers they needed. Sleep peacefully Erin and Jeremy. Big hugs to the family, friends and all who helped to bring them home X 💜

Both of them sitting in a sunken car for 20 yrs, waiting and waiting. Very chilling to even think about. I was in Law Enforcement for many years and a Firefighter once said to me that he wished his mind could forget what his eyes have seen. Same with you my friend. There's more to what you do than pulling off license plates. Stay safe..

You’re are a hero to so many people. Keep doing what you’re doing. And God bless you for all your huge efforts 🙏🏻

I love what you and your friends are doing. I also love your wife for being so understanding with your purpose in life. I have always had a fear of this happening to me as I live in Central Florida and there is so many lakes and ponds as you know. After watching every video you put out I now always drive with my drivers side window down. I wish I could donate now but things are tight but many very soon things will change. MUCH MUCH LOVE to you from me.

Watching from Canada. Can you imagine what this man just did for this whole community, and obviously the families? To wonder where your teenage children disappeared.... the scenarios that ran through their heads all these year. You're a hero, man. There is no other way around it.

This one hit hard, you brought these children back to their families... sat here weeping as the car was brought out of the water then my heart broke as you showed the photos of them at the end. Two kids who never got to live their lives. Thank you for bringing Erin and Jeremy home to their families and their community.

Great job there Jeremy, for finding these 2 kids!! What you do is amazing!! You did your family and your RU-vid family Proud!! I’m sure the families of these 2 teens are so grateful to you!! I couldn’t imagine anything worse than loosing one of my kids, and not knowing what happened to them for 20 years (are they alive somewhere or gone) thats enough to drive someone crazy!!! Your an asset to what you do!! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart for what you did!!! God bless you Brother!!!!

20 yrs in that good of condition still. Awe a hug from the officer. Beautiful

Imagine not knowing what happened to a loved one while you probably have passed through that lake many times over the years and they were there the whole time. So close yet so far.

When you said "they're coming home" a warm feeling came over me. I can't make my mind up on if I want to cry or simply jump for joy.. I can't imagine what you just did for their families. May God Bless you and the families of these 2 teens.. Thank you for what you do 🙏❤. Continue to be a great blessing for others.

I'm from The Netherlands and found this vid through your Instagram short. Just wanted to post my appreciation of your work, you've given so many people closure by finding them. God bless you!

Bless your heart now the families can give them a proper service and ease their pain a little...YOU ROCK

As a parent I couldn’t imagine how it must feel to lose one of my kids and not know what happened to them for over 20 years. Jeremy you are a hero, keep up the good work

When you said “They’re coming home” tears instantly came pouring down my eyes. The amount of overwhelming sadness are words I can’t even explain. My biggest condolences for the families and friends… Thank you so much Jeremy, for truly putting these two souls to rest.

What a blessing. Thank you for bringing closure to the families ❤

I’m so grateful for the work you do and the amount of closure you bring to these families. May God protect you in those lakes, rivers, etc. Stay safe.

Can you imagine the families reaction to hearing they were found? 21 years and finally they are coming home. And also the sheriff’s reaction was not to question it but to hug and praise Jeremy and to make the point that recovery was needed urgently

All the law enforcement and emergency personnel should always welcome you guys with open arms. Your volunteering your time to help them close cases. I'm a Tennessean and used to drive through Sparta a lot in the 90s and 2000s. I vaguely remember this and am thankful you found them for their families

I know this is an older video. But you are so sweet and kind!! Thank you for helping the families and people that you do!!!