DALLAS – The remains found inside a car submerged in the Trinity River have been identified as those of an 84-year-old North Richland Hills man who went missing in February.
James Booth had last been seen Feb. 21 when he left home for a morning appointment. That same day, a white sedan – matching the description of Booth’s car – was driven into flood waters near the Trinity River in Dallas.
Several inches of rain had fallen across parts of North Texas in the days prior.
An hours-long search of waters near the Great Trinity Forest on Feb. 21 proved fruitless. Five days later, North Richland Hills police announced they were investigating a potential link between the missing car and Booth’s disappearance.
A silver alert was issued for Booth, whose family told police he had early signs of dementia.
Nearly six months later, on August 7, a Texas DPS dive team found Booth’s car downstream from where it was believed to have gone into the river.
On August 8, remains were found inside the car when it was removed from the water. The next day, the Dallas County medical examiner identified the remains as Booth’s.
No foul play is suspected in the case.
“Our department extends our heartfelt condolences to Mr. Booth’s family during this process,” North Richland Hills police said. “It remains our goal to at least provide them with a degree of closure, with the hope that it may be helpful to their grieving process.”