Shreveport Police Department Partners With Adventures With Purpose for Cold Cases

If you’ve ever found yourself three hours deep into a TikTok or Facebook Reels rabbit hole, you’ve probably seen them: the specialized dive teams who go into murky waters to find what’s been lost for decades.

Well, Shreveport residents driving by the water this week might have felt a sense of déjà vu. If you saw a heavy police presence and cars being winched out of the depths, no, you weren't dreaming; we’re likely about to see our city featured in one of those viral "underwater mystery" videos.

The Shreveport Police Department took to social media this week to extend a massive "thank you" to Adventures With Purpose (AWP), a world-renowned organization that traveled to the 318 to assist local law enforcement.

AWP isn't your average dive team; they are a search-and-recovery unit that specializes in cold cases, specifically searching bodies of water for missing persons who may have disappeared along with their vehicles years, or even decades, ago.

The Shreveport Police Department highlighted the importance of this visit, stating: "This organization travels across the country partnering with law enforcement agencies to help locate missing persons and bring answers to families.

On Wednesday, their team worked alongside our officers in an effort to identify and recover potential evidence connected to open cases."

While the primary goal is always to bring closure to families of the missing, the operation revealed some long-hidden secrets beneath the surface.

SPD confirmed that while no missing persons were located during this specific operation, several submerged vehicles were discovered. At least a couple of those "lost and found" cars are suspected to have been stolen, and those recoveries have now been folded into ongoing criminal investigations.

The SPD ended their update with a note of gratitude: "We are grateful for partnerships like this. It takes collaboration, innovation, and community involvement to continue pushing forward in our mission to serve and protect. Thank you to Adventures With Purpose for your professionalism and dedication."

Next time you’re scrolling through your feed and see a thumbnail of a muddy car emerging from a Louisiana bayou, take a closer look, it might just be our own backyard.