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(CNN) - A curious 13-year-old boy discovered a vehicle in a lake in Canada last month and helped solve the case of a woman who disappeared 27 years ago.
Teen Max Werenka was on a boat ride in August in Griffin Lake, near Revelstoke, British Columbia, where his family runs a cabin rental business, when he saw an underwater vehicle, his mother Nancy Werenka told CNN.
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They initially assumed that the vehicle was related to a 2009 incident when a vehicle crashed into the lake, so they didn't think much about it. Still, they mentioned it to an agent of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) who was visiting the next day, he said.
"We talked to him about the vehicle at the lake and asked him 'why wouldn't they have taken that car out of the water?'" Nancy Werenka said. “He said: 'Well, they did. What are you talking about?'".
Revelstoke RCMP teams arrived at Lake Griffin on August 21 and left in a boat to see the vehicle, but the angle of the sun made it difficult to see much underwater, Werenka said.
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So Max took out his GoPro and personally plunged into the lake to watch the video of the submerged vehicle up close.
Three days later, police and a local towing company returned to the lake and retrieved an old Honda Accord model, with the body of an adult woman inside.
Missing woman for 27 years
The body was that of Janet Farris, of Mill Bay, British Columbia, who had disappeared in the fall of 1992 while driving to a wedding in Alberta, said CBC News, a CNN affiliate.
"I think the worst was not knowing anything," said his son, George Farris, 62.
"We assumed that maybe she had gone off the road or had fallen asleep, or had tried to avoid an accident or an animal on the road," he said.
Griffin Lake is just along the trans-Canadian highway, and the RCMP believes the vehicle left the road to the lake, said CTV, a CNN affiliate. The Revelstoke RCMP did not immediately respond to a CNN call or email for comment.
Farris said his mother's discovery brought answers to almost three decades of mystery.
"Given a sad situation, it is the best of all results," he said, according to CBC News.
Nancy Warenka said she learned about the identification a few days ago and that her heart is with the Farris family.
"What a pain to have a loved one disappeared for 27 years, how do you deal with that?" She said.
She said she was proud of her son for helping to find the vehicle and handle the media attention that came later.
"He's only 13 years old, but he's very mature 13 years old," he said.
And the RCMP also praised Max's efforts in an interview with CTV.
"It's a good detective job on your part," said Thomas Blakney of the Revelstoke RCMP.
Missing GoPro
