Divers crack Florida cold case, use sonar to find woman’s upside-down car in pond

Sonar used by volunteer divers detected the upside down wheels of a sedan submerged in a pond that ultimately broke open a 22-year-old Florida cold case.

The car belonged to Karen Moore, a 53-year-old nurse who disappeared in Davie, Florida in 2001 at time when she had a restraining order against her husband as their divorce proceeded through the courts.

Foul play was suspected, according to police. 

The two dive crews – Depths of History and Sunshine State Sonar – teamed up in early January to search bodies of water in Broward County, an area near several missing person cases, and made the discovery in a pond in the town of Davie.

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Michael Rodriguez, of Sunshine State Sonar, said his underwater sonar system “lit up” when it detected a car’s wheels, and it only took about 10 to 15 minutes to find the car. 

Britain Lockhart, a scuba diver who runs the YouTube channel Depths of History, said he found an open trunk and a license plate under “three feet of muck” and then contacted local police. 

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The next day, Davie police arrived at the scene and pulled the car from the water. 

“They actually had to send divers back in the water because the front windshield busted open,” Lockhart said in a live-streamed YouTube video detailing what they found. 

“(Law enforcement divers) had to go back and search for the remains, but they were able to find two bones in the vehicle confirming that Karen Moore was inside,” he said.

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Lockhart and Rodriguez were certain they found a key piece of a missing person case, but they weren’t sure which case it was. 

Davie police confirmed it was Karen Moore’s car, and said the investigation is ongoing. 

“We have a meeting set with detectives tomorrow to discuss a media release,” Davie police said in an email to Fox News Digital. “Please consider that our investigation is active. Certain information may not be released, as we do not want to affect the outcome of this case.”

Moore’s family declined Fox News Digital’s interview request. 

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Moore was last seen in Davie before her mysterious disappearance, and January’s discovery was the biggest break in the case in more than two decades. 

“It’s a foul play case, and police don’t want us talking too much about it,” Rodriguez said in the YouTube video with Lockhart. 

But they expressed their emotions after the car was confirmed to be Moore’s. Lockhart said, “A lot of emotions set in.”

“It’s such a sad case of events, and we want to mention our severe condolences to the family,” he said. 

Lockhart and Rodriguez were appreciative and thankful to the Davie Police Department for their professionalism and welcoming them. 

The case has been turned over to law enforcement.