Human remains found in submerged car believed to belong to Florida mother who vanished 22 years ago

More than 2 decades aft a Florida parent mysteriously vanished without a trace, divers person recovered quality remains and her submerged car from a waterway.

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office announced that divers recovered parts of a reddish 1996 Plymouth Neon, clothing, children’s toys, a Florida driver’s licence and quality remains believed to beryllium those of Mary Lou Combs, a Palm Coast woman.

Combs was past seen connected Aug. 19, 2003, leaving a location she shared "periodically" with her parent and 3 children, the sheriff’s bureau said. The 41-year-old ne'er returned.

Her household became acrophobic erstwhile she ne'er showed up to her daughter’s day enactment days later. While Combs had a past of disappearing, according to her family, not showing up to her children’s events was wholly retired of character.

Mary Lou Combs, of Palm Coast, Florida, was 41 years aged erstwhile she mysteriously vanished successful 2003. Remains recovered earlier this period from the Intracoastal Waterway adjacent Palm Coast are believed to beryllium to her. (Flagler County Sheriff’s Office )

Combs besides ne'er picked up her last paycheck from her occupation astatine a section Food Lion.

For years, investigators chased tips and searched aggregate locations, but nary grounds surfaced.

A voluntary dive squad located what appeared to beryllium a bumper matching Combs’ missing conveyance successful the Intracoastal Waterway adjacent Palm Coast successful October 2025. (Flagler County Sheriff’s Office )

That changed successful October 2025, erstwhile a voluntary dive squad located what appeared to beryllium a bumper matching Combs’ missing conveyance successful the Intracoastal Waterway adjacent Palm Coast.

The conveyance was aboriginal recovered upside down, buried successful 14 to 17 feet of h2o and muck.

Dive teams utilized dredging instrumentality to retrieve the contents of a conveyance submerged successful the waterway. (Flagler County Sheriff’s Office )

A multi-day betterment cognition involving the FBI’s Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team and different agencies began Feb. 3.

Divers entered the submerged conveyance and utilized dredging instrumentality to retrieve its contents. Among the items pulled from the h2o were a steering instrumentality labeled "Neon," a manual model crank, a level mat, a size 7 footwear accordant with Combs’ size, and children’s items including toys and a kid seat.

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Investigators besides recovered a bony containing a metallic sheet believed to lucifer an ankle reconstruction country Combs had undergone earlier she disappeared. Authorities are moving to corroborate whether the serial numbers lucifer her aesculapian records.

Investigators judge Combs whitethorn person accidentally driven into the Intracoastal Waterway and drowned much than 2 decades ago. (Flagler County Sheriff’s Office )

Sheriff Rick Staly said helium hopes that the tireless enactment of detectives tin springiness Combs’ household the answers they request truthful they tin "finally laic their loved 1 to rest."

"All the grounds gathered frankincense acold suggests that the remains we person recovered are those of Mary Lou Combs," Staly said. "While this is not the result anyone hoped for, we knew locating Mary live was highly improbable fixed the magnitude of clip she had been missing."

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While rumors circulated for years that Combs whitethorn person died astatine a enactment and been disposed of, investigators accidental existent grounds suggests she whitethorn person accidentally driven into the Intracoastal Waterway and drowned.

The remains are present with the aesculapian examiner. DNA investigating is underway to corroborate individuality and find the origin of death.

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