PLANTATION, Fla. – Two cars pulled from canals in Plantation are linked to missing person cases from 1974 and 2004, authorities confirmed.
Police responded to Wimbledon Lake Drive near Broward Boulevard, where divers and tow truck drivers were on the scene, pulling the car from the water on Saturday afternoon.
An organization called Sunshine State Sonar conducts searches regarding missing person cases and cars all across South Florida and started retracing steps to a cold case of a 35-year-old mother and her three-year-old daughter who disappeared in November of 1974.
Mike Sullivan, the founder of Sunshine State Sonar, who was working on a cold case with his team of volunteers, made the find.
Sullivan said his crew was retracing the steps of Doris and Caren Wurst, who police said went missing in November of 1974. Their Chevy Impala was never found until this weekend.
Sullivan’s team, traveling from St. Petersburg, began at the last known location of the Wursts, scanning several bodies of water, spotted the vehicle using sonar near Nob Hill Road and Broward Boulevard.
The discovery, which has brought answers after 50 years of uncertainty for the Wurst family, is part of Sullivan’s ongoing efforts. Plantation police have been notified.
“We don’t make money off videos. We don’t do it for fame or fortune,” said Sullivan. “We do it for the love of helping families. It’s about providing answers so they can find peace.”
The 1961 Chevy Impala of the mother with the remains of the mother and daughter as well as personal effects were also found in the vehicle.
The volunteer dive team notified Plantation police.
“I could see something lying on the back seat. It looked like a purse or something like that. I couldn’t tell what it was, and I reached in, grabbed it and brought it up. It was just above the vehicle, and we realized it was a kid’s toy. It was very emotional. It was almost like it was that little girl’s way of saying you found me,” said Sullivan.
In addition to the Wurst case, Sullivan’s team also found another submerged car just two blocks away, linked to a World War II veteran who went missing in 2004.
In that incident, Plantation police said they were notified of a missing person case involving a suicidal 83-year-old man on July 21, 2004.
The man, who police said suffered from multiple health issues and depression, was reported missing from his residence near the 8400 block of Northwest 10th Street in Plantation by his 80-year-old wife.
Police said the victim’s wife informed authorities that the victim had expressed a desire to drive his vehicle into a canal or lake in an attempt to take his own life. He had left his home in a silver 1999 Buick LeSabre, they said.
Despite extensive searches of nearby waterways, lakes, and canals by the Plantation Fire Department dive teams, no trace of the man or his vehicle had been found, authorities said.
Years later, Sunshine State Sonar, which also conducts searches for missing persons in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, began a pro bono search for an unrelated case using advanced sonar equipment, authorities said.
During the search, detectives said the team detected what appeared to be a vehicle in a lake located in the 100 block of Wimbledon Lakes Drive. A subsequent SCUBA dive confirmed it was a 1990s model Buick LeSabre.
Plantation police detectives, along with the Broward Sheriff’s Office Forensic Dive Team, responded to the scene and assisted with the investigation. Skeletal remains were found inside the vehicle, which was later recovered, authorities said.
Next of kin have been notified about the likelihood that the remains belong to their loved one, but the name of the deceased is being withheld pending proper identification through DNA or dental records.
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