Son hopeful remains found in submerged van belong to his mother, who went missing almost 12 years ago
By Brammhi Balarajan and Jamiel Lynch, CNN
(CNN) — It took nearly 12 years and dozens of water searches, but a submerged vehicle connected to the missing person case of Sandra Lemire has finally been located.
Detectives have contacted Lemire’s family and are “waiting on positive identification of the human remains that were located in the vehicle,” Orlando police told CNN in a statement Tuesday.
Lemire disappeared in May 2012 after she went on a date, CNN affiliate WESH reported at the time.
The volunteer organization Sunshine State Sonar has spent the past 17 months searching 63 bodies of water. Lemire’s son Timothy Lemire said her last cellphone ping helped the group narrow the area to search.
Through sonar – technology that uses sound waves to locate objects in bodies of water – the group found a match on December 30 in a pond near a Disney World exit on Interstate 4 in Kissimmee, Florida. They carried out a search this past weekend and located a minivan submerged in 14 feet of water.
In a crash report issued Sunday, Florida Highway Patrol said the 2004 Ford Freestar van “was traveling on the State Road 417 southbound exit ramp to World Drive. For unknown reasons, the vehicle ran off the roadway left and into a retention pond” and became “completely submerged in water.”
The van is confirmed to be tied to the Lemire case, police said. CNN has reached out to the medical examiner’s office for more information.
Timothy Lemire told CNN that he strongly believes the remains in the vehicle belong to his mother.
“Her clothes that she was wearing that day, and her cell phone and her wallet with ID were found in her purse in the van as well,” Lemire said. “She was the only one driving that vehicle that night and was the only one found in that van.”
He said that brings him and his family comfort.
“I have mixed emotions about all of this. I’m happy she wasn’t murdered or kidnapped or even got mugged. I just never knew what happened,” he said.
“My mom was an amazing person. She had a huge heart and would do anything for anyone. My mom was a person that anyone could talk to. She always smiled and always seemed happy. I miss her more and more every day. I feel better we know what happened, but it still feels like a dream state. Like I don’t know how to take it,” he added.
CNN’s Chenelle Woody and Cara Lynn Clarkson contributed to this report.
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