PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – A vehicle has been located in a canal in Pembroke Pines that match the description of the pickup truck that an 81-year-old woman who has been reported missing was last seen driving, Fort Lauderdale police confirmed Thursday morning.
Relatives of Carol Tormey -- who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia and was reported missing the night of July 21 -- said her body was also found in the water.
Her daughter, Kelly Bush, posted on social media, “My mother has passed. She was found last night out west with the truck in a canal. Our family can begin to heal.”
The canal where Tormey’s body was found is located near Southwest 196th Avenue, just south of Pembroke Road.
“Seeing the pain in their eyes, the hurt -- everybody on our team just wants to do everything we can to help her family out,” Mike Sullivan, with Sunshine State Sonar, said.
After reporting her missing, Tormey’s family enlisted Sunshine State Sonar to help find her.
The volunteer organization has been searching bodies of water in west Miramar and Pembroke Pines where Tormey’s Apple AirTags were last traced.
Their search resulted in more than a dozen submerged cars being found, including a 2011 blue Honda Civic. Human remains were also pulled from a retention pond off I-75 near Miramar Parkway.
The Civic had a tag matching a missing person’s case involving Eduardo Graterol, who disappeared in 2018.
“As soon as I got down to the driver-side window of the vehicle, you can see skeletal remains,” Sullivan said.
But in Miramar Wednesday night, it was fishermen who relatives say made the discovery of Tormey’s black Chevy Colorado in a canal.
Miramar police confirmed that the tag on the truck found was on Tormey’s truck.
Relatives said Tormey’s body was found inside the truck.
Relatives told Local 10 reporter Roy Ramos over the phone Thursday that they are very appreciative of all the search crews and everyone who called in with tips.
While this is not the outcome they hoped for, they say it does provide the family with some closure.