For six days, authorities combed Elbert and Madison counties in northeastern Georgia looking for any sign of Julie Ann Mosier.
Mosier, 18, had been missing since July 12 when she went to visit a friend in the Bowman area, according to the Athens Banner-Herald.
A massive search included a tricky stretch of road where an Elbert County sheriff's deputy eventually spotted tire tracks that led to Mosier's car, which had crashed into a pond, the Banner-Herald reported.
"We've all ridden that road I'd say collectively two dozen times and didn't see anything," Danielsville police Chief Brenan Baird told the newspaper. "There is one spot you can stand to see what (the deputy) saw and we're very fortunate he saw it."
Police think the teen, a recent high school graduate and new driver, missed a stop sign, lost control of the car and careened down an embankment into the pond.
Once the deputy spotted the submerged car, authorities had to bring in a dive team to confirm it was Mosier's car because the water was so murky. They then found the teenager inside, according to the Banner-Herald.
The search for the girl included several Athens-area law enforcement agencies. After several days coming up short, Baird told the newspaper officers were retracing their steps.
“We went over everything that had been done and mapped out every area we had looked,” he said.
And they finally found her.
"It's a rough time for the family, but they do have some resolution," Baird said.
The Georgia State Patrol is still investigating the crash.
Chelsea Prince contributed to this story.
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