A wealthy New York couple disappeared without a trace in Georgia 44 years ago, but it took a pair of volunteer divers just seven minutes to find what might have been their car. and remained submerged in a dark pool near the hotel where they were staying.
Charles Romer, a 73-year-old oil executive, and his wife, Catherine, 75, disappeared with Lincoln in 1978. In the spring of 1980, the Scarsdale, New York, couple were returning. Home from Miami Beach, Florida, and staying at the Holiday Inn in Brunswick.
Hotel staff were concerned that their bed was not slept on and reported it missing. Fears were raised that the pair, who are known to carry expensive jewellery, Become a victim of foul play and be robbed.
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Charles and Catherine visible Romer in the top right corner Along with photos of their intended car and divers taking apart the various parts.
The hotel is next to a pond, which diver Mike Sullivan told Fox News Digital has been searched for several times before. But poor visibility prevented searchers from making any progress.
But cold cases intensified on Friday. When Sullivan and his brother, John Martin, searched the pond in a small 6-foot-long boat, their specialized sonar equipment sounded the alarm to vehicles at the bottom of the pond.
Sullivan said he quickly dived to the bottom of the lake and pulled the nose off the 1978 Lincoln. He said he found human remains and some jewelry in the car as well.
“We arrived at the pond around 10:00 a.m. and located the vehicle by 10:07 a.m., seven minutes later,” Sullivan said.
The pair, who run Sunshine State Sonar, a volunteer search and rescue organization in Florida. He called the police who arrived at the scene.
Lincoln was submerged as the well was drained. (Sunshine Status Sonar)
The Glynn County Police Department and Camden County Dive Team then attempted to pull the Lincoln from the water. Then turn the car around. and ripped the axle from the car, according to video provided by Sullivan.
He said police then drained the pond to reveal a badly deteriorated vehicle. Which he said they eventually removed.
“The vehicle is similar to the vehicle Charles and Catherine Romer are believed to be driving. when reported missing in April 1980,” Glynn County Police Department stated in the statement “At this time there is no conclusion regarding the identity of the body that was found.”
Police have not said what happened to the car or who was found in it.
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The back seat of the car they discovered had the initials “CRR” embroidered on the left side. and the axle has the right wheel (Sunshine Status Sonar)
Sullivan believes the bodies belong to the couple. And it is believed they may have accidentally fallen back into the pool while trying to park and drowned in the tragic accident.
Sullivan said the couple’s Lincoln was custom-made. And the back seat of the car they discovered had the initials “CRR” embroidered on it.
The Romer family checked into the Holiday Inn. Interstate 95 and US 341 just before 4:00 p.m. on April 8, 1980, and took the items to the guest room. At approximately 5:00 p.m., a Georgia Highway Patrol officer spotted the couple’s vehicle south of Brunswick. It was near some restaurants, and neither Romer’s car nor theirs were ever seen again.
–It looked as if they were parking at a restaurant. And when he parked the car, he accidentally stepped on the gas pedal. And they backed into the lake,” Sullivan said. “He must have made a U-turn. And he stepped on the gas because Headlights turned towards the shore He accidentally backed into the lake.”
Sullivan said police found tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of diamonds wrapped in a carpet in the trunk of the car.
–We also found diamond rings, necklaces, wallets, and gold diamond bags. We also found items with initials on them,” he said.
The proximity of the pool to the hotel and the length of time it took to solve the case. This raises the question of why it was not discovered earlier.
–The pond has been inspected many times over the years. Because it was about 100 yards from the hotel room, the problem was that sonar technology wasn’t available in the 1980s,” Sullivan said.
“The divers go into the pool and swim around. and feel the car But when visibility is zero it’s very difficult to find a car that does that. Sometimes you might be lucky, it’s very difficult. But they tried, you know, they might come inside. next to the car but can’t find it”
Sullivan said. They were initially called to the scene regarding a tip about a Ford sedan that had reportedly fallen into the water. He said he did not find a body near that car.
He said the operation of Sunshine State Sonar is free.
“No one hired us. We work with law enforcement agencies on cold cases. And we prosecute these cases at no cost,” Sullivan said. “We specialize in underwater sonar. And we are also a diving team.”
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Divers at the scene (Sunshine Status Sonar)
“We have a database of all cases of missing persons and vehicles. This is a unique case of a missing person where the victim’s vehicle has never been found, so what we do is go to an area where their last known location is. And we searched for all the water these people last knew.”
“And the reason we were at that pool was because that was the pool in front of the hotel they were staying at.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
