Remains of missing mother, daughter found in Broward canal after 50 years, police say
The remains of a mother and daughter who vanished nearly 50 years ago were found Sunday in a vehicle submerged in a Broward canal, police say.
The bodies of a 35-year-old woman and her 3-year-old daughter were located shortly after 12:45 p.m. inside a canal off the 10100 block of West Broward Boulevard in Plantation. Plantation police and divers with the Broward Sheriff’s Office helped recover the body — and the vehicle in which it was found — from the water.
The mother-daughter duo was reported missing on Nov. 12, 1974, according to police. They were last spotted at their home in the then-Sunshine City Trailer Park, 13411 NW Second St., located about three miles west of the canal.
The woman’s 1961 Chevrolet Impala, police say, also disappeared from the home.
The case turned cold in 1975. For decades, searches for the pair turned up with few answers. As of Monday, Plantation police have yet to release the mother’s and daughter’s identities.
Their living relatives have been contacted, authorities say. The mother’s and daughter’s names will be withheld until the remains are identified by DNA or dental records.
In June, Sunshine State Sonar, an organization that voluntarily investigates South Florida missing person’s cases involving vehicles, began searching for the duo using updated sonar technology, according to police. They located the Impala in the canal on Saturday — and worked with investigators to recover the family a day later.
The group, in an announcement posted on Facebook Monday afternoon, identified the missing mother and daughter as Doris and Caren Wurst.
“The investigation was a result of a 14-month collaboration with the Plantation Police Department,” the post states. “The dedication of the detectives involved in the case was incredible, as they never gave up on finding a resolution, even 50 years later. It was a privilege to be a part of this team effort and contribute to the outcome of the investigation.”
Another decades-old case solved
Investigators — with the help of Sunshine State Sonar — also located the remains of an 83-year-old man who had vanished on July 21, 2004. He was found Sunday in a lake off the 100 block of Wimbledon Lakes Drive in Plantation.
He was last seen leaving his home in the 8400 block of Northwest 10th Street, which is about two miles away from the body of water, in a silver 1999 Buick LeSabre, according to police.
Though the man’s living relatives have been contacted, the department is withholding his name until his identity is verified by DNA or dental records.
This story was originally published August 11, 2024 at 3:43 PM.
