Woman's car, remains found in retention pond near Disney World 12 years after she disappeared

ORLANDO, Fla. (TCD) -- A nearly 12-year-old cold case reached a major turning point after a volunteer dive group discovered a missing woman's car and remains on New Year's Eve.

According to Sunshine State Sonar, Sandra Lemire left her grandmother's home in Orlando on May 8, 2012, to go on a date with a man she met online. Lemire called her grandmother when she arrived in Kissimmee and said she would do the same when she left, but Lemire was never heard from again. Lemire was reportedly last seen leaving a Denny's in Kissimmee driving a red Ford Freestar minivan.

Sunshine State Sonar, a dive group that works closely with law enforcement agencies, started looking for Lemire on July 2, 2022. They collaborated with the Orlando Police Department, and over the course of a year and a half, searched 63 different bodies of water. At the end of December, Orlando Police detectives reportedly shared new information with the team, which led them to map out different areas, including a "variety of highway locations."

On Dec. 30, team members were searching the retention pond and got a hit on "what appeared to be a minivan submerged in 14 feet of water." Divers went in, located the car, and said the license plate on the van in the pond matched the one Lemire was last seen driving.

The car and personal items were recovered and removed from the water the next day.

Mike Sullivan with Sunshine State Sonar told WESH-TV Lemire's disappearance was "the case I was least optimistic about," but that changed when Orlando Police provided the team with Lemire's last cellphone ping location. He said he was "stressed out" and hyperventilating when they located the minivan.

Sullivan said he assumed Lemire's disappearance was a result of foul play, but it "turned out to be just a bad, terrible car accident."

Lemire's son told WESH, "What he did was amazing. And without him and his team, none of this would have been possible. They didn’t ask for a dollar. That's just the kindness of their heart."

In a statement to WESH, Orlando Police said detectives are still waiting to positively identify the remains, but they confirmed the car was linked to Lemire's disappearance.

MORE:

• After nearly 12 years, we have found missing Orlando mother, Sandra Lemire - Sunshine State Sonar
• Family says human remains found in pond near Disney World are those of Orlando woman missing 12 years - WESH