BOCA RATON, Fla. — More than 10 years after a 25-year-old South Florida man vanished, his skeletal remains have now been found in a southern Palm Beach County lake.
Steven MacKrell departed downtown Fort Lauderdale at about 1:30 a.m. on July 30, 2015, police said.
Law enforcement said their investigation later revealed that MacKrell drove north that night and made a purchase at a Valero gas station located at 3601 North Dixie Highway in Pompano Beach.
Police said that surveillance video from the gas station indicated that MacKrell was involved in what appeared to be a dispute with the occupants of another vehicle.
Fort Lauderdale police sought to identify that person, but in March 2019, they said they had "exhausted all leads" and encouraged tips from the public.
MISSING MAN'S REMAINS FINALLY FOUND
Flash forward to Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, Fort Lauderdale police said MacKrell's car and remains were located in a waterway in Boca Raton.
Poice said Sunshine State Sonar, a private sonar search company, discovered MacKrell's submerged vehicle in a lake at 900 Peninsula Corporate Circle.
Sunshine State Sonar notified the Boca Raton Police Department, who recovered MacKrell's Ford Fusion with skeletal remains inside.
The remains were turned over to the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office for further examination, according to Fort Lauderdale police.
On Friday, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department said they provided MacKrell's dental records to the Boca Raton police and the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office.
"Using those records, the medical examiner confirmed the remains were positively identified as belonging to MacKrell," Fort Lauderdale police said in a statement.
Investigators said the circumstances surrounding how MacKrell and his vehicle ended up in the lake remain under investigation.
Detectives are still asking anyone who may have had contact with him on the night of July 30, 2015, or who may have information about his disappearance, to contact the Fort Lauderdale Police Department at 954-828-6677 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.
