Share and Follow
More than 20 years after a Florida mother inexplicably disappeared, divers have uncovered her submerged car and human remains from a local waterway, potentially solving a long-standing mystery.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office revealed that divers located a red 1996 Plymouth Neon along with clothing, children’s toys, a Florida driver’s license, and human remains. These findings are believed to be those of Mary Lou Combs, a resident of Palm Coast.
Combs was last seen on August 19, 2003, departing from a residence she occasionally shared with her mother and three children. The 41-year-old never made it back home.
Her family grew worried when Combs failed to attend her daughter’s birthday celebration a few days later. Although she had a history of disappearing, her absence from her children’s events was considered highly unusual by her family.
Mary Lou Combs, 41, from Palm Coast, Florida, vanished without a trace in 2003. The remains discovered earlier this month in the Intracoastal Waterway near Palm Coast are thought to be hers, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Combs also never picked up her final paycheck from her job at a local Food Lion.
For years, investigators chased tips and searched multiple locations, but no evidence surfaced.
A voluntary dive team located what appeared to be a bumper matching Combs’ missing vehicle in the Intracoastal Waterway near Palm Coast in October 2025. (Flagler County Sheriff’s Office )
That changed in October 2025, when a voluntary dive team located what appeared to be a bumper matching Combs’ missing vehicle in the Intracoastal Waterway near Palm Coast.
The vehicle was later found upside down, buried in 14 to 17 feet of water and muck.
Dive teams used dredging equipment to recover the contents of a vehicle submerged in the waterway. (Flagler County Sheriff’s Office )
A multi-day recovery operation involving the FBI’s Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team and other agencies began Feb. 3.
Divers entered the submerged vehicle and used dredging equipment to recover its contents. Among the items pulled from the water were a steering wheel labeled “Neon,” a manual window crank, a floor mat, a size 7 shoe consistent with Combs’ size, and children’s items, including toys and a child seat.
Investigators also recovered a bone containing a metal plate believed to match an ankle reconstruction surgery Combs had undergone before she disappeared. Authorities are working to confirm whether the serial numbers match her medical records.
Investigators believe Combs may have accidentally driven into the Intracoastal Waterway and drowned more than two decades ago. (Flagler County Sheriff’s Office )
Sheriff Rick Staly said he hopes that the tireless work of detectives can give Combs’ family the answers they need so they can “finally lay their loved one to rest.”
“All the evidence gathered thus far suggests that the remains we have recovered are those of Mary Lou Combs,” Staly said. “While this is not the outcome anyone hoped for, we knew locating Mary alive was extremely unlikely given the length of time she had been missing.”
While rumors circulated for years that Combs may have died at a party and been disposed of, investigators say current evidence suggests she may have accidentally driven into the Intracoastal Waterway and drowned.
The remains are now with the medical examiner. DNA testing is underway to confirm identity and determine the cause of death.
Related Article
