Glynn County, GA - A Florida-based dive team has helped solve a five decades old missing persons case involving a New York couple who disappeared while traveling home from South Florida.
The Sunshine State Sonar Team, known for using advanced sonar technology to assist in cold cases, made the discovery in a pond in Glynn County, Georgia.
The team located a vehicle matching the description of the Lincoln Continental belonging to Charles and Catherine Romer, who vanished in April 1980.
Authorities were alerted to the find, and a specialized Blackwater dive team from Camden County was brought in to recover the car and human remains.
Investigators believe Charles Romer may have accidentally driven the vehicle into the pond, though the exact circumstances remain unclear.
The couple, who had a winter home in Miami, were last seen checking into a Holiday Inn in Brunswick, Georgia, on April 8, 1980.
Hotel staff reported them missing three days later after noticing they had never checked out.
At the time, divers searched the pond but failed to find any evidence, likely due to limitations in technology.
Modern sonar equipment allowed the Sunshine State Sonar Team to detect the submerged vehicle, bringing new life to the decades-old mystery.
"They searched the lake and found a car that matched the description in this missing persons case from 44 years ago," said Glynn County Police Public Information Officer Lawton Dodd.
While investigators lean toward the theory of an accidental drowning, the case remains open as they work to provide the Romer family with additional closure.
Some family members, including a granddaughter, previously suspected foul play in the disappearance.