Remains Of Florida Woman Missing Since 2012 Found Near Disney World: Report

ORLANDO, FL — The remains of a woman found inside of a sunken vehicle in a retention pond near Walt Disney World Resort over New Year's Eve weekend has been identified as Sandra Lemire, who disappeared in 2012, a family member told Fox 35 News.

Civilian volunteers from a local dive group called Sunshine State Sonar brought news of the submerged 2004 Ford Freestar van near World Drive, just south of Disney World, to the attention of authorities, the outlet reported.

Dive teams from the sheriff's offices in Orange and Osceola counties helped in locating Lemire's remains, which were not immediately identified, according to the outlet.

Lemire, of Orlando, left her grandmother's home near I4 and John Young Parkway, on May 8, 2012, driving her grandmother's red 2004 Ford Freestar minivan with the Florida license plate number J36-8ZE, Sunshine Sonar said in a Facebook post.

Lemire, who was headed to Kissimmee to meet a man that she was corresponding with through an online dating service, called her grandmother to say she'd arrived, and promised to call again before she returned, but never did, according to the group.

She was last seen at a Denny’s restaurant in Kissimmee, driving the minivan, the group said.

The recovery of Lemire's remains was a "collaborative effort" with detectives from the Orlando Police Department, with a total of 63 bodies of water searched over the last 17 months starting in July 2022, according to the group.

Orlando detectives gave more information that prompted the weekend’s search, with a team member in Virginia starting to map new areas, which included a variety of highway locations, the group said.

At around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, the group "got a hit" on sonar in a small retention pond at the Disney World Exit on I4, and found "what appeared to be a minivan submerged in 14 feet of water," the post read.

The team quickly suited up and dove on the vehicle to get the license plate confirmation, according to the post.

The group called the dive an "extremely challenging recovery" though it was "an incredible collaboration of different law-enforcement agencies," including the police and sheriff's office, as well as Florida Highway Patrol, AATR Orlando Towing and Recovery, and the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.

"Our hearts go out to her family who supported us along the way we are saddened at the circumstances, but glad we could assist in bringing her home," the group's post ended. "Rest in peace Sandra, you are finally home."

The van Lemire was traveling in is believed to have gone off the road into the retention pond, though the time is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol, Fox 35 reported.