Solano Authorities Seek Missing Truck Linked To Suspicious Death

SOLANO COUNTY - The Solano County Sheriff's Office is looking for a truck that belonged to a Butte County man who was found dead in Steamboat Slough in eastern Solano County this month.

An autopsy revealed no signs of foul play in the death of Robert Dean Coultas, 54, of Magalia, but his death is considered suspicious because of his missing truck, Deputy Christine Castillo said.

Solano County sheriff's deputies recovered Coultas' body around 11 a.m. April 5 but a ground and water search of the area turned up no evidence regarding how he died, Castillo said.

Deputies searched the Sacramento River and Rio Vista areas, Sutter and Grand islands, Freeport, Courtland, Clarksburg, Locke and Walnut Grove for Coultas' red and black 1995 GMC pickup, Castillo said.

The highly-customized truck has a California license plate 87651W1, white stripes on each side and a hand-painted mural of what appears to be a gas station and vehicles on the tail gate.

Coultas was last seen driving the truck in the Butte County area on April 3, Castillo said.

Anyone who finds or has seen the truck is asked to call 911, and anyone who has information about Coultas' death is asked to call Solano County sheriff's detective Andrew Hendrix at (707) 784-7050 or Crime Stoppers at (707) 644-7867.

"We hope someone has seen it. There's no indication how Coultas ended up in the water," Castillo said.

-Bay City News, images via Solano County Sheriff's Office