Four divers returned to the Monongahela River yesterday but again were unable to locate the body of a 71-year-old man who may have been the victim of a violent crime.
The divers also used sonar from a boat to check sections of the river in an attempt to find Vernon Hayden, an Elizabeth Township man who vanished Dec. 10.
"We used our sonar equipment to eliminate some areas, which saved us from having to put divers into those areas,'' said Bruce Smith, assistant commander of the Monongahela Valley Divers, a unit affiliated with Rostraver-West Newton Emergency Services.
Searching at the request of Allegheny County homicide detectives, divers made their second check of the river near the Monongahela Aquatorium. They searched the same section Dec. 27, but found nothing.
Mr. Hayden's stepgrandson, Timothy Large Jr., is a suspect in his disappearance, police say. Mr. Large, 30, of Belle Vernon, has been charged with stealing Mr. Hayden's pickup truck and making purchases with his bank card.
First Published: January 6, 2008, 12:00 p.m.