GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. — An investigation is underway after human remains were found Friday in Glynn County which could be linked to the 1980 cold case of a missing couple.
According to the Glynn County Police Department, a Florida group located a submerged Lincoln Continental in a pond between the Royal Inn hotel and Interstate 95 on New Jesup Highway Friday.
The group, Sunshine State Sonar Team, assists law enforcement in searching through waterways for missing vehicles and people to bring closure to families still looking for missing loved ones.
Investigators say the vehicle found in the pond matches the description of the car that Charles and Catherine Romer were believed to be driving when they went missing in April 1980. They found a human bone inside the vehicle, and investigators are draining the pond to search for more possible remains.
The remains have not yet been identified as the suspected missing couple, authorities said.
The Glynn County Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are investigating.
The disappearance of Charles and Catherine Romer
Charles and Catherine Romer were last heard from on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1980, when they called one of their sons as they left a Miami Beach hotel to drive back home to Scarsdale, New York, an article published in The New York Times by Franklin Whitehouse on Oct. 9, 1985 states.
Two days later, the couple got a room at the Holiday Inn in Brunswick, where they unpacked their room and disappeared.
“Even though I’ve been out of the motel industry 30-something years, yeah, I think about," Andy Mavromat, who used to manage the Holiday Inn told First Coast News.
149 - that’s the number Mavromat finds himself thinking about every so often.
It’s a room number he’ll never forget, from when he started managing the Holiday Inn back in 1984, four years after the disappearance of the Romers. The inn has since been renamed the Royal Inn.
“That was the buzz," said Mavromat. "Somebody checks in, next morning, they’re gone, everything is still in the room. Yeah, and they never checked out.”
According to the NYT report, glasses and a bottle of Scotch were found in the couple's room along with their tax returns.
The couple's 1979 Lincoln was never found.
Charles Romer was a retired oil company executive from Scarsdale, and left an estate valued at more than $1 million, according to the NYT report. The couple's family later reported that Catherine Romer had jewelry with her that was valued between $60,000 to $80,000, which was never found.
“It was speculation," said Mavromat. "There were so many rumors flying around."
Mavromat says he never met any of the Romers families during his time at the Holiday Inn, but he’s thinking about them now.
“I just hope, whatever happens, however it plays out, it brings closure for the family," said Mavromat.
The front windshield and top of the car surfaced Sunday as investigators pumped more water out of the pond.
“Rust, corrosion, all kinds of bacteria are going to develop on that car, so trying to clean that stuff off to see if you can find something is going to be difficult," said First Coast News Crime and Safety Expert Ken Jefferson.
Jefferson says while some law enforcement officers are working on that, others are likely trying to track down any surviving family of the Romers they can find.
“Don’t get their hopes up too high," said Jefferson. "We’ve got some new information that we’re looking into and we’re going to keep you apprised as to how that goes, if it links to anything or anybody, we’re going to keep you informed, because they have a right to know.”
A tow truck driver told a First Coast News crew he tried pulling the car out Saturday, but it couldn't handle it without breaking.
He believes the pond will be drained enough by Monday for him to try to pull it out again.
The Glynn County Police Department has not confirmed what’s next for the car at this point, other than that the draining will allow for a thorough investigation.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact GCPD at (912) 554-3645 or to remain anonymous, call Silent Witness at (912) 264-1333.