Submerged car — and two bodies — found in pond near Florida highway, deputies say
UPDATE: The victims have been identified as Vincent Thomas, 64, and Ongela Anetra Smith, 47, both of Palm Beach County, Sheriff William Snyder said at a July 27 news conference broadcast by WPTV. The crash happened as they were returning from the wedding of an acquaintance and is believed to have been a “tragic accident.” The original story is below.
A mysterious submerged car and two bodies were found by divers in a Florida farm pond, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
The discovery was made the morning of Monday, July 25, near an intersection south of Indiantown, about 100 miles north of Miami.
Investigators have identified the two bodies but are not releasing their identities until next of kin can be notified.
“The vehicle was located by using sonar equipment provided by Florida Fish and Wildlife,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
“Once detectives were able to determine there was a vehicle in the pond, Martin County Fire Rescue sent in their dive team. MCFR Dive Team located the vehicle and assisted Kauff’s towing in removing it from the pond.”
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Investigators are handling the case. However, the sheriff’s office has not referred to the case as a homicide and has not revealed how the two people died.
Investigators told WPTV a passing motorist prompted the site search, after reporting “one body floating in the pond.” The victims are a man and a woman, and they had been “in the water for a couple of days,” TCPalm.com reports.
The pond is home to “at least one” alligator, but investigators have not said if they suspect animals were involved in the deaths, WPBF said.
The pond is near the intersection of Warfield Boulevard and Indiantown Avenue and has access points from both roads, maps show.
This story was originally published July 26, 2022 at 10:49 AM with the headline "Submerged car — and two bodies — found in pond near Florida highway, deputies say."