High school senior missing after friend's truck found submerged in Lake Station river, family says

LAKE STATION, Ind. (WLS) -- The father of 18-year-old Rodrigo Montes broke down as he pled for help finding his son.

Rodrigo, better known as Rico, was last seen at a gathering Sunday night.

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"All we know is he was at a cookout. He was going to go home, and he never made it back," said Adolfo Montes, Rico's brother.

Rico's family says the River Forest High School senior told them he was getting a ride home from a friend.

Hours later, Lake Station police say, a truck was found submerged in the Deep River near 27th Avenue and Wyoming Street just before 4:30 a.m. Monday. Police said "a male subject" was believed to have been inside.

Rico's family says the truck belonged to his friend and spoke with ABC7 about their exchange with that friend.

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"The vehicle was submerged and he supposedly walked home. He didn't tell anybody about the accident. And now, he's denying that he's ever been involved," said Saul Montes, Rico's brother.

"Somebody knows something, and they're not saying anything. And time is of an essence," said family friend Amanda Herrera.

Hobart fire officials said late Monday morning that their dive and drone teams were helping with search operations.

Chopper 7 captured video of dive teams in the water as Rico's family and friends conducted an hours-long search on the ground. A black pickup truck could be seen upside-down in the water.

"They had helicopters out here and the drones. We were out here on foot searching since about 5 in the morning, but we haven't had any luck," Saul said.

Rico's family was just starting to plan his high school graduation party.

"Rico's been the baby of the family. He's the littlest one," Saul said.

Now, they are organizing search parties to find him.

"The hardest part is just not knowing where he's at. He could be anywhere. He could be walking somewhere. He could be he could be in the water. He could be out unconscious. We just we just want to know where he's at," Saul said.

Lake Station police have not said if anyone has been taken in for questioning but they did say search efforts and investigation are ongoing.

"This was a large, coordinated effort involving multiple agencies working together under challenging conditions. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all departments and personnel who assisted in this response. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families affected by this incident," Hobart fire officials said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lake Station Police Department by emailing speek@lakestation-in.gov.