The decade-long puzzle of the missing Florida mother, Sandra Lemire, found a grim conclusion near the internationally famous Disney World.
Lemire, a 47-year-old resident of Orlando, Florida, who disappeared in 2012, was discovered underwater in her vehicle, in a pond near Interstate 4, close to the Walt Disney World exit in Kissimmee, Florida, on Sunday, December 31, 2023.
The finding was made by the volunteer search group, Sunshine State Sonar, who disclosed the details on their social media platforms.
Lemire had left her grandmother’s Orlando home on May 8, 2012, driving a 2004 Ford Freestar minivan. She was purportedly meeting a man she had met through an online dating platform. After confirming her arrival in Kissimmee to her grandmother, Lemire failed to make the anticipated call to signal her return, resulting in her subsequent disappearance.
Worries about Lemire’s safety increased due to her diabetes and the fact that she did not have her insulin with her. Her grandmother, Pauline Varner, recalls the torment of not knowing what happened to her granddaughter, remarking on Lemire’s dependability and how out of character her vanishing was.
The recent discovery of Lemire’s vehicle and remains by Sunshine State Sonar has offered a poignant resolution to her family, particularly her son, Timothy Lemire from Michigan.
Simultaneously relieved and distraught, Timothy thanked the search team on Facebook for their critical role in resolving the longstanding uncertainty surrounding his mother’s disappearance. He speculated that she took an exit ramp a little too quickly and went straight into the water.
Sandra Lemire was last seen departing from a Denny’s restaurant in Kissimmee, leaving no trace until the recent finding. The Orlando Police had absolved the man she visited of any involvement in her disappearance. The individual stated they separated after the meeting, an account that the police found credible.
The remains recovered have yet to be formally identified as those of Sandra Lemire. The task of identification is with the medical examiner’s office.
This discovery is another successful recovery by Sunshine State Sonar, a non-profit organization established in 2022, which has been recognized for recovering several bodies since its inception.
Their recent search was directed by additional information provided by the Orlando Police, leading to a focused search that uncovered the submerged minivan in a retention pond.
