06/14/2026
Mystery at Foss Lake 2: The Green Chevy That Vanished First (1969)
A year before the teens disappeared, another car vanished into history.
In 1969, John Alva Porter, 69, left home with friends Nora Marie Duncan, 58, and Cleburn Hammack, 42. Their green 1952 Chevrolet was reportedly having trouble starting and was last seen being âgiven a push.â
Thenânothing.
Three adults. Three lives. No trace.
Families searched. Time passed. Hope thinned. The case faded into the quiet category of the unsolved.
Until Foss Lake spoke.
When troopers scanned the lake bottom in 2013, the 1952 Chevy appeared sitting eerily close to the Camaro - as if the two tragedies were forever tethered. Inside were the remains of Porter, Duncan, and Hammack.
Unlike the Camaro, this car raised even more troubling questions.
There was alcohol inside, but no visible damage to the vehicle. The driverâs door was found open. Personal items - clothing fragments, jewelry, shoes - were recovered alongside skeletal remains. Autopsy reports noted no trauma. The cause of death: probable drowning. The manner: accidental.
Still, families struggle with the explanation.
How did three adults simply drive - or roll - into a lake and never escape? Why was the door open? Why was the car intact? For Porterâs granddaughter, the discovery brought closure -but not certainty.
Foul play was never proven. But for those left behind, it was never fully ruled out in their hearts.
One Lake, Two Timelines, Endless Questions
On paper, six Oklahoma cold cases were solved.
In reality, Foss Lake left behind something far more complicated.
Two vehicles from different eras.
Six people from two generations.
One body of water that held them for 40 to 50 years.
Officials say it was an accident. Families say there are too many unknowns. And maybe both things can be true at once.
Because sometimes, even when the dead are found, the truth remains submerged - resting quietly at the bottom, waiting, as Foss Lake did, for someone to look just a little closer.
A huge thank you to Michi White Photography and her collaboration with us on this project.