- by foxnews
- 04 Feb 2025
Hotel employees were concerned that their bed had not been slept in and reported them missing. Fears were raised that the couple, known to carry expensive jewelry, had been victims of foul play and robbed.
The hotel is situated next to a pond which, diver Mike Sullivan tells Fox News Digital, had been searched many times before, but terrible visibility had hitherto prevented searchers from making a breakthrough.
Sullivan says he quickly dived to the bottom of the lake and pulled the nose from a 1978 Lincoln. He says human remains and a spate of jewelry were also found in the car.
"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 says.
The pair, who operate Sunshine State Sonar, a Florida-based volunteer search and rescue organization, then called the police, who arrived on the scene.
The Glynn County Police Department and the Camden County Dive Team then tried to pull the Lincoln from the water and in doing so, spun the car around and ripped the axle off the car, video provided by Sullivan shows.
He says police then drained the pond to reveal the badly deteriorated car, which he says they eventually removed.
"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 said in a statement. "At this time there is no conclusion about the identity of the remains that were found."
Police did not say what happened to the car or the people found inside.
Sullivan is convinced the remains are those of the couple and believes that they may have inadvertently reversed into the pond while trying to park and drowned in a tragic accident.
Sullivan says that the couple's Lincoln was custom-made and the back seat of the car they discovered had their initials "C.R.R" embroidered.
The Romer's checked into the Holiday Inn along Interstate 95 and U.S. 341 just before 4 p.m. on April 8, 1980, and took their belongings to their room. At around 5 p.m., a Georgia Highway Patrol officer saw the couple's car south of Brunswick near some restaurants and neither the Romer's nor their car was 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 says. "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 says.
The closeness of the pond to the hotel and the length of time it has taken to make a breakthrough in the case has raised questions as to why a discovery was not made earlier.
"The pond has been checked many, many times throughout the years because it was literally a hundred yards from their hotel room. The problem is the sonar technology was not available back in 1980," Sullivan says.
"Divers would go in the pond and swim around and feel for the car but with zero visibility it is very difficult to find a car doing that. Sometimes you get lucky, it's very difficult. But they tried, you know, they probably came within feet of the car but just didn't find it."
Sullivan says they were initially called to the scene about a tip about a Ford sedan which had reportedly gone into the water. He says no bodies were found near that vehicle.
He says that the work of Sunshine State Sonar is done for free.
"Nobody hires us. We work with law enforcement agencies on cold cases and we take these cases on for free, pro bono," Sullivan says. "We specialize in underwater sonar and we are also a dive team."
"And the reason we were at that pond is because that is the pond in front of the hotel that they were staying at."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Travelers visiting religious landmarks across the world may see a photo opportunity that's worthy to share on social media. Here are 10 popular spots, plus some attractions in the U.S.
read more