The disappearance of 40-year-old mortgage broker William Earl Moldt remained a mystery for 22 years because the technology used to find him hadn't been developed yet.
Moldt was reported missing on November 8, 1997. He had left a nightclub around 11 p.m. where he had been drinking. He wasn't known as a heavy drinker and witnesses at the bar said he didn't seem intoxicated when he left.
After leaving the club, his car, a 1994 Saturn, wound up in a retention pond at the Grand Isles' Sausalito housing development in Wellington, Florida, which was under construction at the time. He'd never escape the pond alive.
The houses that are now around the pond wouldn't be built for another year.
The mystery of his disappearance wasn't solved until August 28, 2019 when his body was discovered in an effort led by Barry Fay.
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It all began when Fay's neighbor's ex-husband was looking at his old neighborhood on Google Earth and saw what he thought was a car in the pond. He alerted his ex-wife who texted Fay with screenshots.
"She said, 'Tell me if you think that looks like a car,'" Fay said according to the Palm Beach Post.
His reply: "Yes, it does." Then he asked where the photos were taken.
"She said, 'Silly, that's behind your house.'"
When Fay got home he looked into the pond behind his house but didn't notice anything, just as he hadn't for the past 14 months he'd lived there.
Fay called a neighbor who owns a drone with a camera attached and the footage it returned showed, clear as day, there was a white car submerged in the pond. Fay called the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office immediately.
"They had my whole backyard roped off with crime-scene tape," he said.
When the car was removed by authorities it was heavily calcified and Moldt's skeletal remains were found inside.
Fay thought that the car they pulled out was just "just some junked-up old car," he said.
"Never did I believe there would be a 22-year-old dead body."
Parents of young children get more time with them if they work from home.Photo credit: Canva
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We could start a rumor.
Grieving couple comforting each other
This response to someone grieving a friend might be the best internet comment ever
When someone is hit with the sudden loss of a friend or loved one, words rarely feel like enough. Yet, more than a decade ago, a wise Redditor named GSnow shared thoughts so profound they still bring comfort to grieving hearts today.
Originally posted around 2011, the now-famous reply was rediscovered when Upvoted, an official Reddit publication, featured it again to remind everyone of its enduring truth. It began as a simple plea for help: “My friend just died. I don't know what to do.”
What followed was a piece of writing that many consider one of the internet’s best comments of all time. It remains shared across social media, grief forums, and personal messages to this day because its honesty and metaphor speak to the raw reality of loss and the slow, irregular path toward healing.
Below is GSnow’s full reply, unchanged, in all its gentle, wave-crashing beauty:
Why this advice still matters
Mental health professionals and grief counselors often describe bereavement in stages or phases, but GSnow’s “wave theory” gives an image more relatable for many. Rather than a linear process, grief surges and retreats—sometimes triggered by a song, a place, or a simple morning cup of coffee.
In recent years, this metaphor has found renewed relevance. Communities on Reddit, TikTok, and grief support groups frequently reshare it to help explain the unpredictable nature of mourning.
Many readers say this analogy helps them feel less alone, giving them permission to ride each wave of grief rather than fight it.
Finding comfort in shared wisdom
Since this comment first surfaced, countless people have posted their own stories underneath it, thanking GSnow and passing the words to others facing fresh heartbreak. It’s proof that sometimes, the internet can feel like a global support group—strangers linked by shared loss and hope.
For those searching for more support today, organizations like The Dougy Center, GriefShare, and local bereavement groups offer compassionate resources. If you or someone you know is struggling with intense grief, please reach out to mental health professionals who can help navigate these deep waters.
When grief comes crashing like the ocean, remember these words—and hang on. There is life between the waves.
This article originally appeared four years ago.