His family lost hope in finding him and in 2011 they
published an obituary for the 72-year-old man
A man decorating a tree for the holidays outside of a funeral home spotted a car in a pond while he was on a lift and called police Tuesday
Authorities recovered the car with skeletal remains in the driver's seat and Niles' wallet was also found in car
A Google Map image of the pond has also shown the car in the murky pond for years
A car that was recovered Tuesday from a Michigan pond with a man's body inside has been visible on
Davie Lee Niles disappeared on October 11, 2006 after he was seen leaving his regular watering hole, Jake's Bar, in Byron Township, Michigan, WOOD-TV reported.
At the time, his family said he met a friend there and then left abruptly, because he was dealing with the discomfort caused by cancer.
His family lost hope of finding him, and in 2011 they published an obituary for the 72-year-old man..
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The car with Niles' body inside is even visible on Google Maps in the marked portion above
A car that was recovered Tuesday from a Michigan pond with a missing elderly man's body inside has been visible on Google Maps for years
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Davie Lee Niles (above) disappeared on October 11, 2006 after he was seen leaving Jake's Bar in Byron Township, Michigan
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At the time, his family said he met a friend at Jake's Bar (above) and then left abruptly, because he was dealing with the discomfort caused by cancer
'Davie Lee Niles, age 72, of Wyoming, passed away and only God knows the time and place,' the obituary read online.
While decorating a tree for Christmas outside of Cook Funeral Home in Byron Center, Brian Houseman was on a lift when he spotted a car submerged in a pond.
'All of a sudden, it's like, 'Whoa, there's a car out there,' Houseman told WOOD-TV.
'No one could ever see it. It was murky and things moved around.'
The car with Niles' body inside is even visible on Google Maps.
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While decorating a tree for Christmas outside of Cook Funeral Home in Byron Center, Brian Houseman (above) was on a lift when he spotted a car submerged in a pond
Not knowing that he just solved a nine-year-old mystery, Houseman called the Kent County Sheriff's Department to notify them about the submerged car.
The Kent County Sheriff's Office Dive Team responded to the scene on Tuesday around 9am and confirmed that there was indeed a vehicle in the pond and wrecking crews pulled it from the water just before 11am.
Niles' skeletal remains were discovered in the driver's seat of the mud-covered car in the pond, which is located about half a mile from where he was last seen, WOOD-TV reported.
His relatives came to the scene Tuesday and said the discovery of his remains gives them the closure they've been waiting years for.
