KISSIMMEE, Fla. — A group of volunteer divers believe they have found the remains of a woman in a vehicle submerged in a retention pond near Walt Disney World, apparently solving a 12-year-old mystery about what happened to her.
Divers from Sunshine State Sonar said they believe they found the remains of Sandra Lemire on Saturday while diving in a small retention pond at the Disney World exit on Interstate 4 in Kissimmee. Lemire disappeared in May 2012. She was last seen leaving a restaurant in Kissimmee, driving the minivan that was found.
The group of divers had been searching for Lemire in 63 bodies of water over the last year and a half.
Last week, a tip from an Orlando Police Department detective about the location of a cellphone tower that last received a call from Lemire's phone helped them narrow the search to the retention pond, the group said in a statement on social media.
“We located what appeared to be a minivan submerged in 14 feet of water,” the statement said. “Our team quickly suited up and dove on the vehicle to make the license plate confirmation.”