Remains of missing Fort Lauderdale man found a decade after disappearance

It has been 10 years since Steven MacKrell vanished after buying snacks during a night out in Fort Lauderdale.

“Ten long years,” his father, Donald MacKrell, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Saturday, during which he imagined all the hypothetical scenarios that might have happened to his son, sometimes wondering if foul play was involved. The family knew, at least, that Steven did not choose to disappear; he would never have left his 1-year-old daughter, Skylar, of his own volition.

Now, Skylar is 11, and divers with Sunshine State Sonar have found Steven’s car and remains in a pond just off Interstate 95 in Boca Raton, the group announced late Friday night, capping off three years of searching and bringing some answers to his family.

It’s “closure,” Donald said while driving from the Panhandle to South Florida, where the family plans to finally hold a formal memorial. “I know you hear that word a million times. As far as I’m concerned, I’d rather have had that day than to not have it come at all.”

Steven’s adult life was just beginning when he disappeared. The 25-year-old had a new baby, a brand new car, and a good job working as a professional poker dealer at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach. He loved golf and fishing. The last time his father spoke to him, he said, Steven told him he was going lobster fishing with a cousin.

Later that night, he went out in downtown Fort Lauderdale with a friend. He left Lucky’s Tavern on West Las Olas Boulevard, after which he had made plans to meet friends at a nearby Walgreens, but never showed up.

Some questions remain unanswered about what happened next. Police discovered that Steven had used his credit card to buy $6 worth of snacks at a Valero gas station in Pompano Beach. Surveillance footage recorded around 2:45 a.m. showed Steven having a dispute with the occupants of a silver car. The footage shows him driving his white Ford Fusion away from the gas station, the car speeding after him.

Fort Lauderdale Police, who had asked the public for help finding Steven at the time, said no evidence linked the silver car to his disappearance, but anyone who encountered him that night could help them figure out his whereabouts. Steven had also spoken to two young women at the gas station that night.

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Years passed without answers. Beginning about three years ago, Sunshine State Sonar began searching for Steven, the group said in a Facebook post. Sunshine State Sonar is one of multiple independent organizations that uses sonar technology to find missing people and cars in Florida’s ponds and canals. The search for Steven turned up several submerged vehicles, but none were his.

Then, on Thursday, the divers found Steven’s Ford Fusion in a pond just of Interstate 95 a little after 7 p.m. The next morning, about 4:30 a.m., Donald got a call from a family member with the news that they had confirmed Steven’s remains were in the car.

It appeared that his son had just driven into the water, Donald said, possibly at a high rate of speed. There was no evidence of foul play; his son’s car was not damaged. Whether the altercation at the gas station had anything to do with his son’s disappearance, Donald still couldn’t say for sure.

“There’s no way at this point to say if someone was after him or chased him or not,” he said, “because it could’ve happened all by itself.”

Spokespeople for Fort Lauderdale Police did not return questions about the remains after hours Friday.

Sunshine State Sonar announced the news in a Facebook post late Friday night, saying they collaborated with Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton police departments on the search. Steven is the 20th missing persons case they have solved, the group said. In September, they located the remains of Howard Gratteau, 39, who had been missing since 1986, in a lake in Sunrise.

This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.