Former Fillmore City Budget Consultant John Wooner.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Courtesy KGET) — An SUV recovered from the Kern River has been identified as the missing Dodge Durango registered to the city of McFarland which had been driven by John Wooner, the city manager who disappeared in May 2019.

The body of a man was found inside the Durango after it was pulled from the river Sunday, but has not been identified.
The SUV was discovered Saturday afternoon about three miles into the canyon.

A sergeant on scene reported the vehicle has been in the water for a while and only became visible because water levels dropped about three feet in the last week.

In May, Wooner went missing in the Durango after he was last seen visiting his father’s grave at Hillcrest Memorial Park.
That cemetery is 11.1 miles from where the submerged vehicle was removed.

Wooner was hired as a consultant by the City of Fillmore to advice on the City’s 2009-2010 budget in July of 2009.