Car, remains found in Winston Lake could be connected to 2006 missing person, police say

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — The Winston-Salem Police Department has made a possible connection in a missing person case dating back to 2006.

Dedrick Bernard Smith, 26, went missing on Oct. 4, 2006, with the last known contact being a phone conversation that happened earlier that day.

Winston-Salem police were alerted by a search and recovery dive team known as “Adventures With Purpose” that they may have found what they believed to be the 1993 Pontiac Grand Am driven by Smith at the time of his disappearance in Winston Lake.

Adventures With Purpose called the police about their discovery at 7:15 p.m. on Friday, April 1.

Winston-Salem detectives and the Adventures With Purpose divers worked together to pull the Pontiac from Winston Lake at 7 a.m. on Saturday, April 2. The Pontiac was positively identified as the car that was driven by Smith at the time of his disappearance.

Remains were found in the vehicle and officials are working to identify them in the coming days, as well as a cause of death.

Smith’s next-of-kin has been notified of the discovery.

Anyone with any information about this investigation is asked to call the Winston-Salem Police Department at (336) 773-7700, Crime Stoppers at (336) 727-2800, or En Espanol (336) 728-3904. You can also view “Crime Stoppers of Winston-Salem Forsyth County” on Facebook. A Crime Stoppers Tip Form can also be located online at https://www.cityofws.org/FormCenter/Police-Department-19/Crimestoppers-Tip-Form-100. Information provided to Crime Stoppers may be given anonymously.

The Text-A-Tip program can be reached at (336) 276-1717 and allows you to text tips, photos and videos to the Winston-Salem Police Department. Please note that such text tips may not be made anonymously.

Source: Fox 8 News Channel