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KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The remains of a woman who went missing 12 years ago appear to have been found inside a minivan in a small retention pond by Walt Disney World.
Sandra Lemire’s family members believe that the remains found in the minivan belong to her, according to The Associated Press. Lemire went missing in 2012 with her car after she left a restaurant in Kissimmee, Florida.
Divers with Sunshine State Sonar were searching a retention pond by the Disney World Interstate 4 exit last week when they found the vehicle, the AP reported.
The divers help Florida law enforcement officers in cases involving missing people, vehicles or vessels that could possibly be in the water. The group searched about 63 bodies of water over the last year or so, looking for Lemire.
The search of the retention pond where the remains were found stemmed from a tip from a detective at the Orlando Police Department regarding the cellphone tower that got the last call from Lemire’s phone. According to Sunshine State Sonar’s Facebook post, per the AP, the tip helped searchers to focus their efforts on the pond.
“We located what appeared to be a minivan submerged in 14 feet of water,” Sunshine State Sonar said in a statement obtained by the AP. “Our team quickly suited up and dove on the vehicle to make the license plate confirmation.”
The Orlando medical examiner will still need to confirm the identification of the remains. The Florida Highway Patrol is expected to investigate the crash.
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