The family of a Florida woman who suddenly disappeared in 2012 has confirmed that the human remains found in a pond near Disney World are hers.
According to NBC affiliate WESH, who first reported the story, Sandra Lemire went missing in May 2012 after going on a date with a man she had met online. At the time she was living at her grandmother's Orlando home and drove a red minivan.
For 12 years, the case went cold until December 2023.
Mike Sullivan and his volunteer dive group Sunshine State Sonar, a nonprofit based out of St. Petersburg, Florida, have been searching for Lemire for the past year and a half when they finally got their breakthrough two weeks ago.
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"The detectives from Orlando Police gave us some new information that we could use," Sullivan told WESH. "They gave us the location of her last cell phone tower.”
With the new information, Sullivan and his team put together a map of possible locations and on Saturday ended up at a retention pond along State Road 417 and I-4 near Disney and World Drive and spotted Lemire's minivan, WESH reported.
“When the silt cleared, I can start seeing the numbers: “J.” And as soon as I saw the “J” and the “3,” I'm like: ‘We have her,’” Sullivan told WESH.
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Sullivan and Sunshine State Sonar took on Lemire’s case pro bono and searched 63 bodies of water to find her.
On Monday, Lemire's son, Timothy Lemire Jr., and his dad who is Sandra’s ex-husband said they are still processing this discovery.
“It's a lot of mixed emotions,” Lemire Jr. told WESH. “I'm happy she wasn't murdered or kidnapped or anything like that because we've been thinking that for years.”
On Sunday, the Orlando Police Department, the Florida Highway Patrol, Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Osceola County Sheriff’s Office all responded to the scene to help in the recovery of the vehicle.
FHP is handling the crash investigation and told WESH they are waiting on the Medical Examiner’s Office to identify the remains.
The Orlando Police Department also released a statement to WESH:
"We can confirm that the red vehicle located in the water on World Drive is tied to the missing person case of Sandra Lemire. We are waiting on positive identification of the human remains that were located in the vehicle. FDLE is working on that. Detectives have been in contact with the family. Once we get new updates, we will provide that to you."
