GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. — Glynn County police, along with several other agencies, are investigating a pond between the Royal Inn Hotel and Interstate 95 along New Jesup Highway, where human remains and a car have been recovered.
Authorities believe this could be connected to a missing person’s case dating back to 1980.
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Crews have been on-site, working to recover both the vehicle and the remains. The investigation began when a tip from the Sunshine State Sonar team, a Florida-based dive group, led to the discovery.
Glynn County Police Department’s Public Information Officer, Lawton Dodd, spoke with Action News Jax Monday about the ongoing investigation.
Read: A 1980s cold case may reopen after bodies and a vehicle have been resurfaced
“They went in to search the lake and found a car that matches the description of a vehicle connected to a missing persons case from 44 years ago. They alerted us, and we called in the Camden County dive team, since they have a Blackwater dive team, which we do not,” Dodd said.
Dodd said the vehicle recovered is believed to be a Lincoln Continental, though there’s still uncertainty. During the search, another vehicle was discovered in the same pond.
Read: Glynn County police: Human remains and car found in pond on Friday
“There were two cars found. You can dismiss the second one—it was from a drunk driving accident that happened years after the original one,” Dodd said.
The Lincoln Continental is in extremely poor condition, submerged for more than four decades. Dodd said investigators are being cautious as they work to retrieve it without compromising any potential evidence.
“We haven’t been able to fully access it yet. We’re not sure we’ll be able to recover it without destroying whatever evidence might still be in the car,” Dodd said.
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Police said the vehicle recovered from the pond near Interstate 95 is connected to Charles and Catherine Romer, a wealthy couple from New York who vanished after checking into a Holiday Inn in Brunswick, Georgia, on April 8th, 1980.
They said the last confirmed sighting of the Romers was when they were seen carrying their belongings into their room at the Royal Inn Hotel, but they were never heard from again.
Authorities are now investigating whether the remains and vehicle found could finally provide answers in this decades-old missing person’s case.
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We also asked why this pond wasn’t searched in previous decades.
“It’s a good question, but it’s unclear whether it was searched back then. We’re currently looking into old records to determine if it was,” Dodd said.
Dodd confirmed that the family of the missing person has been contacted, though he could not disclose their identity at this time. As for the tip that led to the discovery, the origin remains unclear.
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