Boy with a GoPro helps solve decades-old missing person's case

Young Max Werenka wasn'tlooking to solve the decades-olddisappearance of a 70-year-old Vancouver Islandwoman when he set out on a boat ride last month on Griffin Lake near Revelstoke, B.C.

But after a remarkable series of events which included Max, 13,spotting a submerged vehicle with his GoPro camera just three metres from the shore theteen had played a key role in delivering answers to the missing woman's family.

In the fall of 1992, Janet Farris, of Mill Bay, B.C., was driving to a wedding in Albertawhen she vanished.

Her family notified policeand, over the years, came to believe she'd been in a fatal car accident. But no trace of her or her car was ever found.

Then, last month, the body of awoman was discovered in an overturned vehicle at the bottom of Griffin Lakejust off the Trans-Canada Highway, in the Monashee Mountains.

Police were led there byMax,who discovered the submerged vehicle while out on a boat.

Thatdiscovery has finallybrought answers to Farris's family.

"I think the worst thing was not knowing," said her son, George Farris, 62.

"We kind of assumed that maybe she had gone off the road or fallen asleep, or tried to avoid an accident or animal on the road," he said.

The discovery unfolded after Max set out on the lake last month with guests who were staying at hisparents' lake cabins.The boaters spotted what they believed was a car submerged beneath about five metres of water.

Max's family lives in Sherwood Park, Alta., but runsGriffin Lake Cabins on the shore of the small, mountainlake 27 kilometres west of Revelstoke.

Previous owners of the summer cabins had boated and kayaked on the lake for 17 years without ever seeing a submerged vehicle.

The Werenkas notified police and two officers were sent from Revelstoke. They set out on the lake, taking Max along, but couldn't see the vehicle. So Max then jumped into the water with his GoPro camera. He surfaced with video of a vehicle upside down on the bottom of the lake.

After that, police sent a dive team, tow truck and boom andhauled a 1986black Honda Accord from the water on Aug. 24.

A female body was inside.

RCMP Sgt. Thomas Blakneysaid police ran the licence plate and discovered the car was owned by Janet Farris and had beenreported missing in 1992. They also noted themissing personcase from that same year.

Police found identification belonging to Farris in the car. Soon after, RCMPtold family members that her body had been found.

George said his mother's lastknown stop was at a gas station in Salmon Arm.

After his motherdisappeared, he said the family along with police and search and rescue teams scoured the roadside along the highway, but found nothing.

He says there was a lot of grieving, but in time the family came to accept she had died along the highway somewhere.

Police think Farrislikely swerved to avoid an animal or lost control of her vehicle for some other reason and rolled into the lake. There was no visible front-end damage to the Honda, so they don't think it hit anything.

The discovery of his mother's body has brought answers for George.

"Given a sad situation, it's the best of all outcomes."

He saidhis mother's remains will be cremated and placed alongside her husband who died in 1984.

Meanwhile, Max's mother, Nancy Werenka, says she is proud of her son who is still processing what happened. Theirhearts go out to the Farris family.

"Oh my gosh. I was just ... a lump in my stomach for the family," she said.

"How do you wonder where a family member is for 26 years and not know what happened to them?"