While on a diving trip in
the Gulf of Mexico in
1994, a dive shop owner
suspected of sexually
assaulting a child
disappeared and was
presumed dead. Arwyn
Carr’s boat was found
floating two miles offshore. His car and trailer were
still parked on shore. His mother reported him
missing, and authorities searched the Gulf and the
nearby Steinhatchee River for his body.
At the time, Carr faced charges of sexual assault
on a child under 12. A conviction could have brought
a life sentence. His trial was only two months away.
When a diver goes missing and a body doesn’t turn
up, authorities don’t walk away. Last issue we reported
on one presumed-dead Florida diver turning up in
Wisconsin, where he was promptly arrested.
In this case, authorities found Carr, alive and
well, living in Flagstaff, Arizona. He had taken a new
name, left his family, and forfeited his $25,000 bond
and all of his possessions, including his Luraville
Spring System Dive Center. The Miami Herald
reported that police found him after his mother visited
him in Flagstaff and made cellular phone calls that were
later traced, just like the doofus in our last issue.