Dad, 78, Disappeared After Leaving Home to Get Car Inspected. He Was Found Dead Inside Submerged Vehicle a Week Later

A 78-year-old Virginia man who disappeared after leaving home to take his car to the mechanic has been found dead a week later, authorities said.

On Monday, Dec. 8, a spokesperson for the Fairfax County Police Department confirmed that Quang Hang, who was last seen on Dec. 1, had been located deceased.

According to police, his body was discovered inside a submerged vehicle in the Occoquan River near the 10700 block of Old Colchester Road in Lorton. No foul play is suspected at this time, though a death investigation remains ongoing.

Hang was reported missing after leaving his home in Chantilly to have his car inspected in Leesburg but never arriving, CBS affiliate WUSA reported. His daughter, Betsy Hang, told NBC affiliate WRC and the Prince William Times that her father, who struggled with memory loss, likely took a wrong turn and became lost.

Authorities later said his vehicle was spotted on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Alexandria at 4:45 p.m. on Monday, according to an alert from Fairfax County Police. About 40 minutes later, an AirTag associated with him pinged near Old Colchester Road in Lorton, WRC reported.

“That raised us big alarms because he was supposed to go to Leesburg. That’s the opposite direction of Leesburg,” Betsy told WUSA of her dad’s AirTag location. “So at that point, we got really worried and we called the police.”

The family was especially concerned because the elderly man did not have access to his blood pressure medication. In an advisory, loved ones said he “walks slowly with a limp, and requires daily medication for several medical conditions.”

While Hang had gotten lost before, his family said he always called for help. “It is totally out of character for him to just not call us, not call mom,” Betsy told the outlet.

In the first days after his disappearance, extensive searches by both the family and local authorities did not turn up any sign of him. The Virginia State Police eventually issued a critically missing adult alert.

At the time he went missing, Hang was last seen wearing a navy coat, a shirt with pink and white stripes, jeans and sneakers, according to police.

Before learning that her father had been found dead, Betsy said she wanted him to know how loved he was — and that his family was searching tirelessly for him.

“We’re here,” she told WUSA. “Come home.”

A spokesperson for the family later declined to comment when contacted by reporters.