Submerged van with unidentified remains found in pond near Walt Disney World, police say

ORLANDO, Fla. - A body has been found inside a submerged vehicle, the Orlando Police Department confirmed to FOX 35 News.

A volunteer civilian dive group alerted authorities to the submerged 2004 Ford Freestar van that was located in a body of water along World Drive, south of Walt Disney World Resort. Dive teams from the sheriff's offices in Orange and Osceola counties assisted in locating the human remains, which were not immediately identified. The crash is presently under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. 

A preliminary report by the FHP states that a Ford Freestar van was traveling on the State Road 417 southbound exit ramp to World Drive when, for unknown reasons, the van's driver ran off the roadway and entered a retention pond. As a result, it became completely submerged. The specific date and time of when the crash occurred remains under investigation.

No other details were immediately released by the Orlando Police Department. However, early Sunday afternoon, the dive group Sunshine State Sonar posted on its social media that the submerged vehicle was tied to its independent search for missing Orlando mother Sandra Lemire, who disappeared in May 2012, the post read.

The medical examiner’s office will update FHP once they have positively identified the deceased, the FHP said.