ORLANDO, Fla. — The family of missing woman Sandra Lemire said an independent dive team found her body and vehicle in a pond near Walt Disney World on New Year’s Eve. 

What You Need To Know

  • Sandra Lemire, who was 47 when she went missing in May 2012, was driving to Kissimmee to meet a man she met online, according to Orlando Police

  • On Sunday, the Florida Highway Patrol said remains that are believed to belong to Lemire were found in a pond near Disney World

  • Investigators said the medical examiner’s office still has to confirm the identity of the remains

Lemire was 47 years old when she went missing in May 2012. The Orlando Police Department said she was driving to Kissimmee to meet a man she met online.

Mike Sullivan launched the nonprofit, Sunshine State Sonar, in 2022, saying the group has recovered seven bodies since then. The group's mission is to assist law enforcement in finding missing persons, vehicles or vessels believed to be in waterways. 

They posted on social media saying they found the vehicle and believed the remains belonged to Lemire.

Members of Lemire’s family have also confirmed the discovery.

Sunshine State Sonar alerted the discovery to the Florida Highway Patrol, who recovered the vehicle and remains from the pond.

In a statement released to Spectrum News, Lemire’s son, Timothy Lemire, Jr., stressed how he never lost hope throughout the many years since his mother went missing.

“You just can’t lose hope and I almost did,” he said. “But the Sunshine State Sonar did an amazing job solving this case. Without them, none of this would have been possible.”

Investigators said the medical examiner’s office still has to confirm the identity of the remains. They said they are also working to determine when the crash happened.