KOKOMO, Ind. — (WTHR) — A couple of teenagers out fishing solved a mystery that has stymied Howard County detectives and tormented a family for more than a decade. A murky retention pond held the deadly secret as to what happened to Ester Westenbarger.
Her daughter has lived with the frustrating question.
"Every time I look in the mirror I see my mom. I miss her." Mathilda Rood said while holding back tears. "I wanted her back. I got her back. Not the way I wanted, but I got her back."
Westenbarger was last seen leaving a north side Kokomo bar in Nov. 2009. Howard County Sheriff's investigators sent out flyers and filled loose leaf binders with information and evidence, but had no idea where she was until Wednesday.
Teenagers fishing the pond spotted an algae covered car under the water. It was Westenbarger's car. Her family can't understand why someone didn't see it sooner.
"That pond is right down the street from where she lived and the bar she was last seen at," Rood said. "It just upsets me. It's so close to home."
Westenbarger's family never gave up looking and hoping.
Westenbarger's niece Christy Veitengruber said she was often reminded of her aunt when she saw someone with a similar car or red hair.
Rood had the same experiences.
"Every time in the grocery store I heard a laugh that sounded like my mom's, I would run around the corner to see if it was her," she said.
She was still sending her mother's missing person posters to hospital ER's.
"Deep down after so many years you knew what the outcome would be but your heart still has hope," Veitengruber said. "You still hold on to that hope. and you want it to be different. You want the outcome to be the best it can be."
Family members hope to learn how Westenbarger's car crashed into the pond. The police investigation continues and additional autopsy results are expected, but so far detectives said there are no signs of foul play