Indiana police searching for missing 18-year-old after truck found flipped over in river

Family and police in northwest Indiana are searching for an 18-year-old high school senior who went missing early Monday morning near Little Calumet River, with police saying his truck was found overturned in the water as an investigation continues.

About 4:20 a.m., police in Lake Station, Indiana were dispatched to the area of 27th and Wyoming Street after a vehicle was found upside down in the water. Police then started searching for the man believed to have been inside the vehicle, who was identified by family members as Rodrigo Montes, 18.

Following a mutual aid request, the Hobart Fire Department also responded to the scene, with water, rescue and drone teams deployed. A message posted to Facebook from the department described the search as a large, coordinated effort under “challenging conditions.”

Photos accompanying the messaged showed a mangled black truck, with its front side completely destroyed.

Family members shared a missing persons flier of Rodrigo on social media, asking those who lived nearby to check their doorbell and security camera footage from over the weekend. According to the flyer, Rodrigo is 5’7”, 150 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, and was last seen leaving a gathering with a friend about 10 p.m. March 22.

“Even if you think it’s nothing, it could be everything to us,” a post from family said. “We are trying to piece together what happened and any small detail could help bring Rodrigo home.”

According to family, Montes is a senior at River Forest High School.

Lake Station police said the investigation and search remains active. Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Lake Station Police Department by emailing speek@lakestation-in.gov, police said.