Dad Last Seen at Work Event Found Dead 2 Days Later in 'Partially Submerged' Car

The body of a 45-year-old Wisconsin dad has been found in an overturned car two days after he disappeared following a work event.

Benjamin Oberto, of New Berlin, was found dead on Friday, Nov. 15, inside a Subaru Impreza that was “partially submerged in a creek” at the bottom of an embankment in Rosemont, Ill., according to a news release from the Illinois State Police (ISP).

Oberto had been in Crystal Lake, Ill., on Wednesday, Nov. 13, for a work event, according to ABC affiliate WLS-TV and NBC affiliate WMAQ-TV.

He called his wife that same evening and told her he would be home to help put their son to bed, WLS-TV reported.

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Oberto was reported missing at midnight on Thursday, Nov. 15, according to the New Berlin Police Department (NBPD).

ISP said officers with the Rosemont Police Department (RPD) eventually found the Subaru down the embankment along “the curve of the Interstate 90 eastbound ramp to Interstate 294 northbound.”

In a Facebook post shared on Thursday, Nov. 14, Oberto’s wife Laura Leatherberry said her husband’s vehicle “left the freeway as he navigated a challenging turn towards home on a dark, rainy, and foggy night.”

RPD divers eventually found Oberto’s body inside the vehicle. An investigation into his death is ongoing.

Leatherberry remembered her husband as a man who had a “vibrant spirit, loving heart, and unmatched generosity [who] left an indelible mark on every life he touched.”

“The news I have to share is not what any of us want to hear,” she wrote. “Early this morning, we received confirmation that Ben’s car and body were found.”

Leatherberry went on to describe her late husband as "a loving father, a cherished son, a caring brother, and a true friend to so many."

She also asked those who knew her husband “to share their favorite memories and stories of Ben, as they will help us all feel his presence in the days to come.”

“As we mourn this profound loss, let us also celebrate the love and joy he brought into our lives,” Leatherberry wrote, later adding, “I hope to honor his life and the legacy of love he leaves behind.”

She concluded, “Thank you from the depths of my heart for your support and kindness during this unimaginably difficult time.”