An Iraq (web|news) i National is found dead in the trunk of his car, nearly a decade after he disappeared. Two arrests have been made, but Charleston County detectives say, they need more information.

Eight years ago, a friend of Ala Hassan Sarhan reported him missing. Sarhan had been living at a campground off Ladson Road. He never returned from a weekend trip.

"So many people knew about it. There was so much information out there, it just took one break to break the case open," said Det. Al Casale of the Charleston County Sheriff's Office.

The break came last month. Mount pleasant police arrested Jason Cumbee on unrelated traffic charges. Cumbee then started to share information, hoping to avoid any trouble.

"We fed off a lot of what he gave us, it just took a lot of leg work to follow up," said Det. Eugene Magwood of Charleston County.

The digging turned up three McClellanville boat landings, but special sonar tools narrowed the search to one. Then they found what appeared to be a car on the bottom of the Santee River.

"Once something goes into the water the decomposition is pretty intense," said Casale.

Investigators knew they were onto something when the car that came out of the water not only looked like the victim's vehicle, but the vin numbers also matched. The car's trunk was completely full of pluff mud, but buried deep inside, they found skeletal remains.

"We had to take the pluff mud out and examine it as it was coming out and make sure no other evidentiary items were left in the mud." he explained.

Sarhan's work hat inside the car added to suspicions it was his body. The skeleton also had a prosthetic leg, so did Sarhan.

Detectives say Sarhan came to the US seeking refuge from Iraq and Saddam Hussein (news |bio), but they're questioning the motive behind his murder.

"It wasn't exactly a drug deal gone bad. It was more premeditated than that," said Casale.

Sarhan was seen often at clubs in North Charleston. Investigators are hoping anyone who knew him will contact police. If you have any information, call Crimestoppers at 554-1111.