Crews, Law Enforcement Labored Hours to Recover Body in Detroit River in Wyandotte

Crews and law enforcement officers faced high-winds and downpours for nearly seven hours Monday night to recover the body of a Redford Township woman who committed suicide by driving her pickup truck into the Detroit River at Bishop Park in Wyandotte.

Carol Anne Emans, 54, drank a beer and then drove her 2005 Toyota Tundra through a city parking lot located in the park, up over a railing and into the Detroit River at about 8:45 p.m. Monday. Police said depression likely lead to her suicide.

Emans' body was turned over to the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office staff at about 2 a.m. Tuesday.

Divers from the Wayne County Underwater Search and Recovery Team and the Downriver Underwater Underwater Search and Recovery Team battled low visibility and strong currents to recover Emans' body and vehicle. 

Emans' burgundy pickup truck began to sink almost instantly, according to witnesses. Wyandotte Police Chief Daniel Grant said the truck floated about 35 yards away from the shoreline and then down current about 75 yards before it became submerged in about 22 feet of water upside down. 

"We had an excellent response from the Downriver Underwater Search and Recovery Team, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Marine Division and the U. S. Coast Guard," Grant said in a release.

Four employees from Groat Bros Auto Supply in Wyandotte and three employees from Lyons Towing operated six trucks with metal cables and wenches to bring the truck back to shore.

"We didn't want to damage the railing in the park," Rich Lyons of Lyons Towing said. "We had a large boom (wench) over the railing and picked it up over the railing."

Lyons, a retired Trenton police officer of 25 years, said smaller trucks pulled the Tundra to the shore where the large boom could more easily access it for extraction.  Divers then hooked a steel-cable to the rear axle and lifted the truck out of the water and over the railing.

"It was an effort for both companies," Lyons said.

This was one of several vehicles Lyons has pulled out of the Detroit River as a long-time Trenton police officer. He said some vehicles became accidentally submerged when people launched boats at the Elizabeth Park Marina, while others were driven into the river intentionally.

"Your main goal is to make sure no one gets hurt," Lyons said. "Spectators have to be kept clear. If a cable breaks it could be dangerous. Safety is paramount for something like that. Your job is to get everything done right."

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