44 years ago, an affluent couple from New York disappeared in Georgia, but it seems that it only took two volunteer divers seven minutes to find what are probably their car and remains buried in a muddy pond next to the hotel where they had been staying.
In the spring of 1980, retired oil executive Charles Romer, 73, and his 75-year-old wife Catherine vanished along with their 1978 Lincoln.
The couple from Scarsdale, New York, checked into a Holiday Inn in Brunswick on their way home from Miami Beach, Florida.
Hotel staff reported them missing because they were worried that their bed had not been used. There were concerns that the pair, who were known to wear pricey jewelry, had been robbed and the victims of foul play.
The hotel is located close to a pond that has been searched numerous times in the past, but searchers have not yet made progress because to poor visibility, diver Mike Sullivan tells.
When Sullivan and his brother, John Martin, explored the pond in their little 6-foot-long boat on Friday and their specialized sonar technology detected a car at the bottom of the pond, the chilly case abruptly heated up.
According to Sullivan, he swiftly dove to the lake’s bottom and removed a 1978 Lincoln’s nose. He claims that the automobile also contained a large amount of valuables and human remains.
“We got to the pond at about 10 a.m. in the morning and we found the car by 10:07 a.m., seven minutes later,” Sullivan stated.
After that, the two, who run Sunshine State Sonar, a volunteer search and rescue group located in Florida, called the police, who showed up on the site.
According to video that Sullivan shared, the Lincoln was spun around and the axle was torn off the vehicle as the Glynn County Police Department and the Camden County Dive Team attempted to remove it from the water.
He claims that after the police drained the pond, they were able to remove the severely damaged vehicle.
“The vehicle is similar to the description of a vehicle that Charles and Catherine Romer were believed to be driving when reported missing in April, 1980,” Glynn County Police Department stated. “At this time there is no conclusion about the identity of the remains that were found.”
Sullivan is certain that the remains belong to the couple and thinks they might have drowned in a terrible accident after accidentally reversing into the pond while attempting to park.
The couple’s Lincoln was custom-built, according to Sullivan, and their initials “C.R.R” were inscribed on the back seat of the vehicle they found.
Just before 4 p.m. on April 8, 1980, the Romers arrived at the Holiday Inn on Interstate 95 and U.S. 341, and they moved their possessions to their room. A Georgia Highway Patrol officer spotted the couple’s vehicle south of Brunswick at roughly five o’clock in the evening, close to a few eateries. The Romer family and their vehicle were never seen again.
What happened to the car and the individuals inside was not disclosed by the police.
Sullivan is certain that the remains belong to the couple and thinks they might have drowned in a terrible accident after accidentally reversing into the pond while attempting to park.
The couple’s Lincoln was custom-built, according to Sullivan, and their initials “C.R.R” were inscribed on the back seat of the vehicle they found.
Just before 4 p.m. on April 8, 1980, the Romers arrived at the Holiday Inn on Interstate 95 and U.S. 341, and they moved their possessions to their room. A Georgia Highway Patrol officer spotted the couple’s vehicle south of Brunswick at roughly five o’clock in the evening, close to a few eateries. The Romer family and their vehicle were never seen again.
“It looks as if they were parking at the diner and he accidentally stepped on the gas pedal when he was parking and they backed into the lake,” Sullivan stated. “He must have had the car in reverse, and he stepped on the gas because the headlights are facing the shore. He backed into the lake accidentally.”
“We also found a diamond ring, necklace, a gold purse, a gold diamond purse. We also found stuff with their initials on it and stuff,” he stated.
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Questions have been raised about why a finding was not made sooner given the proximity of the pond to the hotel and the length of time it has taken to make a breakthrough in the case.
According to Sullivan, they were first called to the location after receiving a tip that a Ford sedan had allegedly crashed into the lake. According to him, no bodies were discovered close to that car.
According to him, Sunshine State Sonar does its work for free.
