FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI have recovered human remains and vehicle parts believed to belong to Mary Lou Combs, a Palm Coast woman who disappeared in 2003.
The discovery follows the location of a car bumper in October that matched the make and model of the red 1996 Plymouth Neon she was driving at the time of her disappearance.
Combs was reported missing on October 9, 2003, after not attending her daughter’s birthday celebration. The last time she was seen was on August 19, 2003, when she left the home she shared intermittently with her mother and three children.
Family members reached out to the Sheriff’s Office after realizing she had not collected her final paycheck from a Food Lion in Flagler Beach. When she went missing, Combs was 41 years old.
In October, a voluntary dive team collaborating with the Cold Case Unit discovered a bumper matching Combs’ red 1996 Plymouth Neon Coupe. The vehicle was found upside down, partially buried in muck at a depth of about 14 to 17 feet underwater.
Because the car was fragile, the FBI Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team from Miami, along with the Jacksonville Evidence Response Team, participated in the recovery operation on Feb. 3.
FBI divers entered the vehicle through a broken driver-side window and used dredging equipment to suction out the contents into a sluice basket on the shore. Investigators from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office CSI team examined the sediment to find evidence. They recovered items such as a steering wheel labeled “Neon,” a manual window crank, a floor mat, and red plastic. Divers also discovered a size seven shoe, matching Combs’ shoe size.
In addition to the vehicle parts, the search team recovered a Florida driver’s license belonging to Combs, child toys and a car seat. An onsite forensic anthropologist identified the human remains found at the scene.
One recovered bone featured a metal plate from an ankle reconstruction, a medical procedure Combs was known to have had following an injury. Detectives are currently investigating whether the serial numbers on the medical device match records for Combs.
Investigators noted that while rumors suggested Combs may have overdosed at a party, current evidence points toward a tragic accident. Detectives believe she likely drove her car into the Intracoastal Waterway and drowned.
The human remains are currently with the medical examiner, who is investigating to determine the cause of death. Following that investigation, the remains will be sent to a lab for DNA cross-referencing to confirm a match with Combs.
Detectives also continue to work on confirming the registration of the medical devices found with the remains.
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