Florida kayaker’s grisly find identified as woman missing for decades – now cops hunt her killer

Human remains recovered by a kayaker successful Florida person been identified arsenic those of a 23-year-old pistillate who disappeared much than 40 years ago.

Rose Marie Gayhart was reported missing successful March 1985 by her parents, who lived successful Dansville, New York.

Before her disappearance, Gayhart was past known to beryllium surviving and moving successful the Cape Coral and North Fort Myers area, according to the Cape Coral Police Department.

Investigators person been searching for Rose Marie Gayhart since 1985, erstwhile the 23-year-old disappeared from southwest Florida. (Cape Coral Police Department)

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She’d been surviving with her boyfriend, Robert Paddock, and his mother, Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers reported successful a 2013 video aimed astatine drafting caller attraction to the acold case. She’d moved to the country conscionable 3 months earlier her disappearance, Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore told Fox News Digital.

When Gayhart’s predominant letters and telephone calls to her household "quickly stopped," they "had a gut feeling thing was wrong," Crime Stoppers reported. They knew, according to the video, that she and her fellow didn't person "the cleanable relationship."

After interviewing witnesses, including Paddock and his mother, detectives said Gayhart was past seen "walking down the thoroughfare with a suitcase" aft being "kicked retired of the trailer" wherever the 3 lived. A neighbour told investigators that Gayhart "came to her location to usage her telephone to telephone her family," according to Crime Stoppers.

A paddleboarder heads down a canal successful Cape Coral connected Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

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"That's erstwhile she told her neighbour that she was large and she wanted to support the baby, but her fellow did not privation her to support the baby."

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A neighbour successful the trailer parkland reported "a batch of arguing and a batch of crashing 1 night, arsenic acold arsenic things being destroyed," according to the video report.

Gayhart had conscionable started moving astatine Howie’s Hot Dogs successful Cape Coral.

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"Her fellow astatine the clip went to prime her up, and she wasn't astatine work," Sizemore said.

Rose Marie Gayhart's assemblage was recovered successful Cape Coral, Florida. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

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Restaurant unit told authorities that she’d near with a antheral successful a reddish pickup truck.

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Two autarkic witnesses reported seeing Gayhart earlier her disappearance with "a achromatic antheral successful a reddish pickup truck," Sizemore said.

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Identifying him is thought to beryllium a captious portion of accusation that could assistance lick the case.

39 Years Later

In May 2024, a kayaker paddling successful a northeast Cape Coral canal discovered a quality skull and alerted police.

With the assistance of a New York instrumentality enforcement agency, Florida authorities obtained DNA from Gayhart’s family. It took 2 years, but investigating connected the skull revealed impervious Gayhart had been found.

A motion connected State Rt. 63 welcomes drivers to Dansville, New York. July 29, 2019. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

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"For much than 40 years, Rose Marie Gayhart’s household has carried the value of not knowing what happened to her," Sizemore said successful a quality release. "While this recognition brings long-awaited answers, it besides strengthens our resolve.

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"No substance however overmuch clip passes, adjacent aft 4 decades, our investigations bash not stop, and our pursuit of justness does not end," helium said.

Cape Coral constabulary main Anthony Sizemore addresses the media during a league connected Wednesday afternoon, April 17, 2024. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

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The long-cold lawsuit present is considered an progressive homicide investigation.

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Now, Sizemore is asking for help.

"We inquire anyone with accusation to travel guardant truthful we tin assistance bring accountability and closure to this lawsuit and to the family."