Adventures with Purpose explained
Channel Direct Url: | AdventureswithPurpose |
Channel Display Name: | Adventures with Purpose |
Years Active: | 2018–present |
Subscribers: | 3.24 million |
Views: | 389 million |
Stats Update: | 20 July 2024 |
Silver Button: | yes |
Silver Year: | ? |
Gold Button: | yes |
Gold Year: | ? |
Adventures with Purpose is a group of professional, non-profit scuba divers who use underwater sonar imaging equipment and bathymetry mapping technology to locate missing persons and their vehicles in waterbodies. Originally focused on clean-up, their channel's focus was turned to missing persons cold cases after their accidental discovery of a missing person. The group documents their efforts on their YouTube channel.
Background
Adventures with Purpose (AWP) was founded by Oregon-based Jared Leisek in 2018.[1] They began as an environmental cleanup agency, removing cars that were polluting waterways.[2] [3] Doug Bishop, a diver and manager of a towing company, also joined the group.[4] After twice finding cars with missing people in them, they determined a need to look for people who have gone missing in or with their vehicles.[5] The channel receives tip-offs and requests from the public through their social media accounts. They do not pursue rewards from family or charge the families or police involved, but will not reject rewards if given.[6] Instead, AWP funds its searches through video views, subscribers, donations, and merchandise sales. In 2020, AWP threatened to sue for a $100,000 reward pledged by five anonymous donors for the discovery of Ethan Kazmerzak, who had disappeared in 2013.[7] The Kazmerzak family donated an undisclosed amount.
In October 2022, the team had six members. The following month, Leisek was accused of raping a 9-year-old female relative at age 16–17 in Utah in 1992. Several team members, including Bishop, diver Nick Rinn,[8] and lead videographer Josh Cantu[9] subsequently left the team.[10] [11] On January 5, 2023, Leisek was charged in Sanpete County, Utah.[12] [13]
On January 7, 2023, Adventures with Purpose announced they are on a 3-month tour with a new team of divers and filmmakers.[14]
Search process
At the identified waterbody,[15] the team traverse the waters in small inflatable boats, scanning the bottom of the waterbody using sonar. Upon identifying areas of interest, they circle the area for further identification on their sonar displays before using a heavy-duty magnet to attach their line to the sunken vehicle. They mark the location with a buoy and then use divers to make a visual identification of the vehicle, retrieve a license plate, search for bodies, and prepare the vehicle and its contents for retrieval by police.[16]
Cases
The team usually deals with cold cases,[17] however they have also volunteered for searches in recent cases; an example would be searching on August 22, 2022, for Kiely Rodni, who went missing on August 6, 2022.[18] Certain recent cases may be incidental while searching the waterbody for a cold case.[19] As of July 2024, the group has solved 33 missing person cases (the chart below counts mother Samantha Hopper and daughter Courtney Holt as one case.) AWP also sometimes cooperates with other teams with the same purpose, such as Exploring with Nug, Chaos Divers and Sunshine State Sonar.[20] [21]
Cases solvedCase | Name | Age | Missing | Found | Location |
---|
1 | [22] | 22 | | | Missouri River, Pinckney Township, Missouri 38.6606°N -91.2438°W[23] |
2 | [24] | 56 | | | Willamette River, Milwaukie, Oregon 45.4433°N -122.6446°W[25] |
3 | [26] | 17 | | | Yadkin River, Linwood, North Carolina 35.7231°N -80.3913°W[27] |
4 | | 22 | | | Chapin, Iowa 42.8062°N -93.2178°W[28] |
5 | [29] | 57 | | | Cumberland River, Nashville, Tennessee 36.2451°N -86.7021°W[30] |
6 | [31] | 57 | | | Columbia River, Portland, Oregon 45.591°N -122.5481°W[32] |
7 | [33] | 59 | | | Missouri River, Great Falls, Montana 47.3979°N -111.317°W[34] |
8 | [35] | 74 | | | Willamette River, Cathedral Park, Oregon 45.5871°N -122.7651°W[36] |
9 | [37] | 72 | | | Missouri River, Plattsmouth, Nebraska 41.0145°N -95.8685°W[38] |
10 | [39] | 84 | | | St. Clair River, Marine City, Michigan 42.7062°N -82.4965°W[40] |
11 | [41] | 57 | | | Yellow Creek, Yellow Creek Township, Ohio 40.5732°N -80.6671°W[42] |
12 | [43] | 23 | | | Lake Tawakoni, Hawk Cove, Texas 32.8678°N -96.0703°W[44] |
13 | [45] | 72 | | | Toledo Bend Reservoir, Shelby County, Texas 31.7514°N -93.8436°W[46] |
14 | [47] | 19 | | | Lake Dardanelle, Russellville, Arkansas 35.3211°N -93.147°W[48] |
| 1 |
15 | [49] | 30 | | | Strunk, Kentucky 36.6466°N -84.4332°W[50] |
16 | [51] | 42 | | | Brazos River, Waco, Texas 31.5825°N -97.1517°W[52] |
17 | [53] | 66 | | | Bear Creek Lake, Marianna, Arkansas 34.709°N -90.694°W[54] |
18 | [55] | 59 | | | Lakeland, Florida 28.1387°N -81.947°W[56] |
19 | [57] | 38 | | | Darby Creek, Ridley Township, Pennsylvania 39.8705°N -75.313°W[58] |
20 | [59] | 26 | | | Winston Lake, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 36.1159°N -80.2028°W[60] |
21 | [61] | 16 | | | Snake River, Idaho Falls, Idaho 43.5046°N -112.049°W[62] |
22 | [63] | 77 | | | Willamette River, Newburg, Oregon 45.2853°N -122.9681°W[64] |
23 | [65] | 16 | | | Prosser Creek Reservoir, Truckee, California 39.3829°N -120.1581°W[66] |
24 | [67] | 34 | | | Winooski River, Duxbury, Vermont 44.3307°N -72.7582°W[68] |
25 | [69] | 54 | | | Allegheny River, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania[70] |
26 | [71] | 61 | | | River Derwent, Tasmania, Australia -42.7776°N 147.06°W[72] |
27 | [73] | 24 | | | San Joaquin River, Stockton, California 38.0603°N -121.4996°W[74] |
28 | [75] | 84 | | | Mississippi River, Tiptonville, Tennessee 36.3664°N -89.5062°W[76] |
29 | [77] | 47 | | | Miami, Florida |
30 | [78] | 30 | | | Sunrise, Florida |
31 | [79] | 36 | | | Sutton Slough, California |
32 | [80] | 62 | | | Sacramento River, Sacramento, California | |
Notes and References
- News: Weinman . Steve . Body-recovery divers crack 20th cold case - Divernet . November 3, 2022 . . March 22, 2022 . en-gb.
- News: Woodruff . Bob . Video YouTubers, Adventures with Purpose, help crack a missing persons case . November 3, 2022 . . 2022 . en.
- News: Kesslen . Ben . Adventures with Purpose dive team, who found Kiely Rodni, have solved 23 other cold cases . November 3, 2022 . . August 23, 2022.
- News: Williams . Chris . Adventures with Purpose: Volunteer dive team solves nearly 25 missing-person cold cases — and counting . November 3, 2022 . . May 9, 2022.
- News: Spocchia . Gino . Adventures with Purpose: Who are the divers who discovered body in search for Kiely Rodni? . November 3, 2022 . . August 22, 2022.
- News: Shaddox . Rowena . Adventures with Purpose details search for Kiely Rodni . November 3, 2022 . . August 22, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220823060731/https://fox40.com/news/california-connection/adventures-with-purpose-details-search-for-kiely-rodni/ . August 23, 2022.
- News: Joens . Philip . Dive team that found missing Iowa man's body might sue for $100,000 reward . November 3, 2022 . . December 15, 2020.
- Web site: Nick Rinn Departure with AWP . YouTube . November 9, 2022 . Nick Rinn.
- Web site: My Resignation with AWP . YouTube . November 8, 2022 . Josh Cantu.
- News: Hice . Jim . Founding member of well known search and recovery team charged with rape of child . November 16, 2022 . . November 15, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221116114120/https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/crime/founding-member-well-known-search-rescue-team-charged-rape-child/500-d80a3d83-a573-4855-8620-51f4eff29b6f . November 16, 2022.
- Marks . Andrea . True Crime YouTuber to Plead Not Guilty to 1992 Child Rape Charges . December 20, 2022 . Rolling Stone . November 17, 2022.
- Web site: Sanpete County Sheriff's Department Jail Bookings . 11 January 2023.
- News: Luperon . Alberto . Adventures with Purpose Founder Charged with Raping a Child in Alleged 1992 Incidents . November 16, 2022 . . November 8, 2022 . en.
- Web site: AWP 2023 Winter Search has officially begun . YouTube . 8 January 2023.
- News: Martinez . Jeremiah . What is Adventures with Purpose, the team that says it found Kiely Rodni's body and car? . November 3, 2022 . . August 22, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220822205941/https://fox40.com/news/local-news/adventures-with-purpose-kiely-rodni-placer-nevad/ . August 22, 2022.
- News: How dive teams use advanced technology to search Pittsburgh's rivers for the missing . November 3, 2022 . . October 12, 2022 . en.
- News: Stanish . Erika . Helping families find closure: Dive team searches for information on missing person cases . November 3, 2022 . . October 9, 2022.
- News: Romero . Dennis . Kiely Rodni case: Body found near the last location of missing teen . November 3, 2022 . . August 22, 2022 . en.
- Web site: Missing Harmony man found in river remembered as 'caring,' loving father . October 26, 2022 . . October 10, 2022 . en-US.
- News: Denis . Alex . December 2, 2021 . Youtuber finds car belonging to TN teen missing for 2 decades . November 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220815035946/https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/youtuber-finds-car-belonging-to-tn-teen-missing-for-2-decades/ . August 15, 2022 . . en-US.
- Web site: October 9, 2022 . YouTube diving group helps Pittsburgh police after finding body in Allegheny River . November 10, 2022 . WPXI . en.
- News: Cavallier . Andrea . Human remains, truck recovered from Missouri River in search for missing Nathaniel Ashby . November 1, 2022 . . December 31, 2019.
- January 10, 2020 . Solved Missing Persons Case... Bringing Closure for Nathan's Family . November 3, 2022 . 00:13:48 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Smithers . Dominic . Man Found In Car 75 Feet Under Water Solving 12-Year Missing Person Case . November 1, 2022 . . March 18, 2021.
- June 5, 2020 . SOLVED 12-Year-Old Missing Person Case (Timothy Robinson) . November 3, 2022 . 00:12:57 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Fowler . Hayley . Deputy was 'rude' to family of missing teen after body found. NC sheriff apologizes . . October 13, 2020.
- October 9, 2020 . SOLVED 8-Month-Old Missing Person Case (Nicholas Allen) . November 3, 2022 . 00:26:27 . Adventures with Purpose.
- October 9, 2020 . SOLVED 7-Year-Old Missing Person Case.. (Ethan Kazmerzak) . November 3, 2022 . 00:25:24 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Horan . Kyle . Body of missing man found in car in the Cumberland . November 1, 2022 . . January 26, 2021.
- April 9, 2021 . SOLVED 7-Month-Old Missing Persons Cold Case (BILL SIMMONS) . November 3, 2022 . 00:11:41 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Miller . Joshua Rhett . Driver who plunged off bridge ID'd as Oregon dad Antonio Amaro-Lopez: cops . November 1, 2022 . . February 19, 2021.
- February 26, 2021 . SOLVED 3-Day-Old Missing Person Case.. (Antonio Amaro-Lopez) . November 3, 2022 . 00:09:56 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Rosenbaum . Traci . Cascade County Sheriff IDs body found in river as Tammy Goff . November 1, 2022 . . May 27, 2021.
- July 2, 2021 . SOLVED: Found Tammy Goff (Ep. 4) Missing 3-Years Underwater . November 3, 2022 . 00:32:39 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Wolford . Brooke . Private dive team finds body of grandpa missing for months in river, Oregon police say . November 1, 2022 . . June 4, 2021.
- July 30, 2021 . SOLVED: Missing 9-Months Underwater (RICHARD RITZ FOUND) . November 3, 2022 . 00:14:30 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Body of missing Plattsmouth man found inside SUV recovered from river . November 1, 2022 . KOLN.
- December 10, 2021 . SOLVED: Missing 72-year-old Marine Veteran Found Underwater in SUV (John Zarkowski) . November 3, 2022 . 00:24:05 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Kelly . Dane . Vehicle of woman missing since May found in St. Clair River with body inside . November 1, 2022 . . September 26, 2021 . en.
- November 25, 2021 . SOLVED 84-Year-Old Missing Person Case.. (Nadine Moses) . November 3, 2022 . 00:14:36 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Mosca . Zach . Divers find body of East Liverpool man missing for seven years . November 1, 2022 . . October 8, 2021 . en.
- November 19, 2021 . SOLVED: Charles Fluharty Brought Home 7 Years Underwater Wait Is Over. November 3, 2022 . 00:00:01 . Chaos Divers.
- News: Kellar . Brad . Family: Remains of Carey Mae Parker located . November 1, 2022 . . October 16, 2021 . en.
- May 7, 2021 . SOLVED: We Found Their Moms Car 30 Years Later... (Carey Mae Parker COLD CASE) . November 3, 2022 . 00:22:18 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: KTRE Digital Media Staff . Body found at Huxley Bay believed to be veteran missing since March . November 1, 2022 . . October 25, 2021 . en.
- December 24, 2021 . SOLVED: Vietnam Veteran (Thomas Thornton) Found 7-months after Crashing Car into Lake . November 3, 2022 . 00:10:35 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: O'Connell . Oliver . Human remains found in car more than 20 years after mother and daughter went missing . October 31, 2022 . . October 29, 2021.
- December 31, 2021 . SOLVED: Missing 23-years Underwater (Samantha Hopper, 22-month-old Daughter Courtney, Unborn Baby) . November 3, 2022 . 00:21:05 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Stunson . Mike . Human remains found in submerged truck of man missing since 2018, Kentucky officials say . . December 6, 2021.
- December 17, 2021 . Cold Case SOLVED: 30 Year Old Jeff Shepherd Found In Pond 3 1/2 Years Later . November 3, 2022 . 00:10:28 . Chaos Divers.
- News: Gamboa . Suzanne . Davis . Lindsey . Hylton . Antonia . Cold case divers find missing woman's vehicle in Texas river . November 1, 2022 . . January 19, 2022 . en.
- February 4, 2022 . SOLVED: Missing 4-years Underwater (Stephanie Torres) . November 4, 2022 . 00:14:30 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Li . Johanna . Remains of Missing Woman Found at Bottom of Arkansas Lake . November 1, 2022 . . January 28, 2022.
- February 4, 2022 . SOLVED: Missing 2-years Underwater (Miss Annie Lee Hampton) . March 25, 2022 . 00:24:50 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Jackson . Amanda . The moment YouTube divers crack a missing person cold case . November 1, 2022 . . February 7, 2022 . en.
- April 5, 2022 . SOLVED: Missing 10-months Underwater (Margaret "Jan" Shupe Smith) . November 3, 2022 . 01:08:20 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Reardon . Sophie . Body found in Pennsylvania creek identified as James Amabile, who had been missing since 2003 . November 1, 2022 . . March 29, 2022.
- May 19, 2022 . SOLVED: Underwater Recovery 19-years Later [Ep 3] James Amabile ]. November 4, 2022 . 00:00:28 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Brown . Maggie . Leah . Heather . Car of NC man reported missing 16 years ago found in Winston-Salem lake . November 1, 2022 . . April 5, 2022.
- June 7, 2022 . SOLVED 16-Year-Old Missing Person Case.. (Dedrick Smith) . November 3, 2022 . 00:31:23 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Remains found in vehicle are those of Jed Hall's, police say . November 1, 2022 . . May 5, 2022.
- July 15, 2022 . SOLVED 16-Year Old (Jed Hall) Missing 4-years... We FOUND him in Under 20 minutes! . November 4, 2022 . 00:45:35 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Human remains found in submerged car belonging to former Oregon mayor who went missing one year ago . November 1, 2022 . . May 16, 2022.
- June 30, 2022 . SOLVED: Missing 12-months Underwater (Ralph Brown) DANGEROUS RECOVERY . November 4, 2022 . 00:53:30 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Collman . Ashley . Body found in car submerged in California reservoir is likely missing teen Kiely Rodni, police say . November 1, 2022 . . August 22, 2022.
- September 2, 2022 . How We FOUND Kiely Rodni: MURDER or ACCIDENT? . November 3, 2022 . 00:34:43 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Smith . Cam . Mystery solved? Missing man's truck found at bottom of river . November 1, 2022 . . October 5, 2022.
- October 28, 2022 . Pt2: SOLVED Cold Case 16-YEARS Later (Donnie Messier) . November 4, 2022 . 00:30:48 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Police pull car with body inside from Allegheny River near Acrisure Stadium . November 1, 2022 . . October 8, 2022.
- October 9, 2022 . WE FOUND Tod DiMinno - Breaking News Livestream . November 4, 2022 . Adventures with Purpose.
- Web site: Tragic riddle of car in river . January 24, 2023 .
- July 21, 2023 . SOLVED 6-Year-Old Missing Person Case.. (Dale Nicholson). 00:10:20 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Dive team finds body of missing Stockton man Jacob VanZant in San Joaquin River . April 24, 2023 . . April 18, 2023.
- April 15, 2023 . WE FOUND Jacob VanZant - Breaking News Livestream . April 24, 2023 . 00:19:07 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Adams . Eve . Rochelle Stanfield of Tiptonville, TN, found dead in Mississippi River . 31 July 2023 . SNBC13 . May 6, 2023.
- July 14, 2023 . SOLVED: Grandma Missing 60-Days Underwater... The Case of Rochelle Stanfield . July 31, 2023 . 00:10:20 . Adventures with Purpose.
- News: Crowley . Kinsey . Human remains believed to belong to woman missing since 1985 found in car in Miami canal . 27 February 2024 . USA Today . January 9, 2024.
- Web site: Authorities working to ID remains found in submerged vehicle near Sawgrass Mills Mall. Layron. Livingston. February 12, 2024. WPLG.
- News: Robles. Sergio. Human remains, vehicle pulled from waterway may be linked to Stockton man who went missing in 1994. FOX40. April 22, 2024. May 26, 2024.
- News: BREAKING NEWS: 2 Cold Cases Solved by AWP and Sunshine State Sonar .