PALM HARBOR, Fla. — A volunteer search team discovered a 1970s vehicle submerged in a Pinellas County canal.
Mike Sullivan and his brother, John Martin, started the Sunshine State Sonar, a volunteer search team specializing in underwater sonar technology. The pair was searching for a woman who was reported missing in 1995.
The team, which has located about 70 vehicles this year, searches lakes, ponds, and other bodies of water across Florida to look for missing people and their vehicles.
"We spent a total of five days doing sonar work on the Tarpon Canal and this was in reference to a 1995 cold case of a woman that went missing," said Sullivan.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO), Brenda Snouffer drove her six-year-old daughter to the Highland Lakes Elementary School on April 21, 1995. When school was dismissed that day, Brenda never returned to pick up her daughter.
At the time of her disappearance, Brenda was involved in a bitter divorce and custody battle with her husband. Snouffer was last seen driving a turquoise blue 1993 Mazda Protégé, Florida tag LEA14U. This vehicle has never been recovered.
Sullivan said crews were searching the Lake Tarpon Canal when they discovered a submerged vehicle over the weekend. On Monday, crews could only recover parts of the vehicle.
Crews identified the submerged vehicle as a 1970s Chevrolet Vega and said no human remains were located inside the vehicle.
Sullivan said the vehicle is not connected to Snouffer's disappearance. He said the vehicle is in horrible condition, so they may never learn who used to own the vehicle.
"The vehicle now is in such horrible condition that probably will never be answered. We may never know, getting a VIN number off something like that. The license plate is so deteriorated. You can’t get any numbers off of it," said Sullivan.
PCSO and its dive team responded to the scene. The investigation is open and the sheriff's office said it will release any details as they become available.
Sullivan said volunteers will continue their search for Snouffer and her vehicle.
"This is what we do, and who knows, we may stumble across something else along the way," said Sullivan.
