The remains found in a Plantation canal on Sunday are believed to be those of a mother and her child who disappeared 50 years ago, according to Plantation Police.
Sunshine State Sonar identified them as Doris Wurst, 34, and her 3-year-old daughter, Caren, who were reported missing from their residence located at 13411 Northwest 2nd Street in Plantation.
They were last seen alive on Nov. 7, 1974. The mother's 1961 Chevrolet Impala was also nowhere to be found, police said.
Their disappearance became a cold case by 1975, with follow-up investigations occurring in 1977, 1988, 1992, 1994, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2018; however, results came back negative and the two were never found, police explained.
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According to Plantation Police, family members have been contacted regarding the likelihood that the remains of their loved ones have been located. Police are still waiting for DNA/dental records.
Sunshine State Sonar, an organization that conducts volunteer searches for vehicular missing person cases in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, teamed up with Plantation Police back in June of 2023 with hopes of closing the case.
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On Sunday, the sonar team located a vehicle in a Plantation canal near the 10100 block of West Broward Boulevard, that was later identified as a 60's model Chevrolet Impala following a dive search.
Skeletal remains consistent with an adult and small child were located inside that Chevrolet Impala, police confirmed.
Sunshine State Sonar also shared an image of items found inside the Impala, including toys, clothes and shoes.
"There was a hole in the roof on the vehicle and as I got right above the top of the vehicle I shined my flashlight in that hole and I saw what I didn't know what it was at the time, it looked like a purse or little briefcase," Michael Sullivan of Sunshine State Solar said. "I grabbed it and when I got it up to the surface and saw what it was – it was a Fisher Price kids toy. Me and my brother just looked at each other and it was a pretty emotional moment because, to us, it was Caren, it was Caren saying, 'I'm here, you got me.'"
Cellphone video obtained by NBC6 shows the moment the remains of the vehicle were pulled from the canal.
Meanwhile, Plantation residents who live near the canal are on edge.
Piedad Caballero said she received a knock on her door Saturday from the team at Sunshine State Sonar, for permission to access the canal from her property.
"We’ve been here 20 years and we’ve been sleeping with dead bodies there over 20 years, not knowing. Who knows how many more are in there,” Caballero told NBC6. "It's really scary."
In a nearby lake, Sunshine State Sonar said a man's remains and a car were found submerged, in the area of 80 Wimbledon Drive.
“They laid his bones out. They had his dentures," resident Cookie Saccenti said. "It was really sad.”
