By Cathy Locke, Sacramento Bee

A vehicle registered to an Elk Grove man who was reported missing in May was located Friday down a steep embankment off Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe.

Sgt. Dan Paxton of the California Highway Patrol said the vehicle, a 2001 Honda Civic, was spotted near Johnson Pass Road about 2pm Oct. 12 by a person walking a dog in an area above the crash site. He said the vehicle was about 100 feet down an embankment on the south side of Highway 50.

When officers reached the vehicle and found no one inside, the El Dorado County sheriff’s search and rescue team brought in a dog to search the area. Paxton said human remains were found about 100 feet from the vehicle.

The remains were turned over to the coroner. Efforts will be made to identify the body from dental work, Paxton said.

The vehicle had major damage, which could have been sustained as it went down the embankment, he said, but it has not been determined when the crash occurred. Paxton said no reports of a collision at that site had been reported.

When officers ran the license plate number, they learned it was registered to an Elk Grove man in his mid-40s who had been reported missing five months ago.