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Police confirmed on Tuesday that human remains recovered from a submerged PT Cruiser near Mount Sinai’s Cedar Beach last month are those of Robert Long, a Miller Place man who was missing for nearly 15 years.
Long, 62 when he disappeared, was reported missing on Dec. 22, 2010, after he had reportedly went on a drive to a liquor store. His remains were found June 30 inside a white PT Cruiser that divers discovered in about 19 feet of water, roughly 55 yards from the shoreline.
Volunteer divers from Adventures with Purpose and Explorers with a Purpose had traveled to Long Island to help solve cold cases and used sonar equipment to locate the vehicle.
Suffolk police say the Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the identity through DNA testing. Detectives found no immediate signs of foul play, but the official cause of death remains under investigation.
Long’s wife Joanne had previously confirmed the remains were that of husband, shortly after the discovery of the body in the submerged car.
The police confirmation brings official closure to a mystery that has spanned nearly a decade and a half.
The original recovery operation drew widespread attention, as crews with the SCPD Marine Bureau and a barge from Murphy’s Marine Services were brought in to remove the vehicle from the harbor.
The car matched the description of the one Long was last seen driving when he left a Miller Place wine and liquor store on the night he vanished.
Top photo: Remains found in a submerged car near Cedar Beach were confirmed Tuesday to be Robert Long, who disappeared 15 years ago (Newsday video still).
