Benton County Deputies continue to investigate the theft of a Nissan Pathfinder, after it was recovered from an irrigation canal early Sunday morning.

The vehicle was reported stolen on Saturday afternoon from a residence on Corral Creek Road near Benton City, then found in a main irrigation canal about 8 miles away.

The vehicle was located near Evans and District Line Road, Deputies were notified very early Sunday morning. From the looks of the photo, it appears the vehicle may have had the driver's door bent backwards, perhaps during the incident?

No word on any suspects, or if any evidence found inside. The location of the vehicle was about 8 miles northwest from where it was reported taken. One of our first thoughts was if there was anyone inside, but pretty sure if there were, Deputies would have reported that.

Deputies didn't say if the vehicle was locked prior to the theft, if it perhaps keys had been left inside, but remind drivers to ensure they don't leave their vehicle unattended in that manner.

Like several other recent vehicle thefts, this initially appears to be a 'joyride' dump and run; where the suspect steals a vehicle, uses it for a few days, then abandons it.

In this case, it appears the suspect(s) tried to 'hide' the evidence by dumping it in the large canal.

Officials did not say what led them to the discovery, especially at that early hour Sunday morning. Authorities also tell people to keep a close eye on suspicious vehicle parked on or around their land or neighborhood. Especially ones that appear to be 'abandoned.' As we saw last week, one such rig turned out to be stolen.

 

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