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Remains found by kayakers in Florida identified as woman who vanished in 1985 as police seek killer - CBS News
WorldBy Emily Mae Czachor7/27/20261 min read
Human remains found in a Florida canal two years ago have been identified as those of a woman who vanished in 1985, police said.
āØ Key Highlights
- Human remains found by kayakers in a Cape Coral, Florida canal in May 2024 have been identified as Rose Marie Gayhart, a woman who disappeared in 1985 at age 23, according to the Cape Coral Police Department.
- Investigators confirmed the identity in May 2026 using DNA samples from Gayhart's family, working alongside a local medical examiner's office and a New York sheriff's office from her home state.
- Police have opened an active homicide investigation into Gayhart's death, with Police Chief Anthony Sizemore emphasizing that the case remains a priority even after four decades and appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
- Gayhart, originally from Danville, New York, had been living and working in the Cape Coral and North Fort Myers area when her parents reported her missing in 1985.
- According to CBS affiliate WINK, she was last seen at the Cape Coral restaurant where she worked, then known as Big Howie's Hot Dogs, and was living in a North Fort Myers trailer park with her boyfriend and his mother.
- Her sister, Laurie Travis, spent decades searching for answers and told WINK in a 2017 interview that she believed Gayhart was murdered, citing neighbors' accounts and frequent fighting at the trailer park.
Human remains discovered in a Florida canal two years ago have been identified as those of a woman who mysteriously disappeared in 1985 police said.
Kayakers happened upon the remains in May 2024, i