In what is certainly one (if not the most) bizarre events in the history of professional bass fishing, Paul Elias hooked and boated a black leather wallet this morning. Big deal, right? Well, this wallet contained the drivers license, several credit cards and UAW Local 108 membership card of long missing and suspected murdered union boss James Hoffa. A hoax? Apparently not.
Arkansas State Police were called to the lake, and 20 acres of prime water was immediately cordoned off as a crime scene. Elias said he hooked the wallet in "about 20 feet of water." According to Arkansas State Police spokesman Art Kellen, the wallet had been in the water for some time, but the ID was preserved because plastic is slow to break down.
Divers were called to the scene and in the lake's clear water quickly located a pair of concrete blocks with men's black wingtip-style shoes molded in to them. "The shoes match the general description of the color and type of shoes Mr. Hoffa was known to be wearing the day that he disappeared, according to the Detroit police," stated Arkansas State Police investigator George Skully. He added: "The northern boys (Detroit Metro Police) are sending a man down right away, and he should be here in a few hours."
Elias told BassFan that he was shocked when he saw what he had. "My first thought was that someone would be glad to get their wallet back. But when I looked through it, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I thought it was a joke until I got to that Michigan driver's license. I remember what that whole deal was, and I recognized the name and picture right away."
BassFan will continue to follow this story as it develops.