Executive Summary
- Sheriff Rick Staly announced the recovery of Mary Lou Combs’s vehicle and remains, solving a missing person case from 2003.
- FBI dive teams assisted local authorities in recovering evidence from a vehicle submerged 17 feet deep in the Intracoastal Waterway.
- Investigators identified the remains using metal ankle plates and a driver’s license found within the 1996 Dodge Neon.
- Authorities have determined the cause of death appears to be an accidental drowning involving a former boat ramp.
FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO), assisted by FBI dive teams, announced the resolution of a 22-year-old cold case following the recovery of a vehicle and human remains from the Intracoastal Waterway. Sheriff Rick Staly confirmed during a press conference that the investigation into the disappearance of Mary Lou Combs, who vanished in 2003, has been closed following the discovery of her vehicle submerged in 17 feet of water.
According to Sheriff Staly, the breakthrough occurred on October 25 when volunteers located a vehicle upside down in the waterway near 18th Road. Due to the depth of the water and the vehicle being partially buried in mud, the FCSO requested assistance from the FBI. Federal agents from the Miami dive team and the Jacksonville response team mobilized approximately 30 personnel to assist in the recovery operation.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley led the federal support, which Sheriff Staly described as providing extensive resources and capabilities. Divers entered the submerged 1996 Dodge Neon through an open window to sift through silt and mud. Investigators recovered parts consistent with the vehicle’s make, a driver’s license issued to Combs, and personal items identified by her family. An on-scene FBI anthropologist confirmed the presence of human remains, and metal plates found near the ankles were matched to Combs’s medical history. A final DNA confirmation is pending.
Combs, who was 41 at the time of her disappearance on August 1, 2003, was last seen leaving her home following a family argument. She was reported missing by then-Deputy John Reckenwald after failing to appear for her daughter’s 13th birthday. The case remained unsolved until the FCSO established a dedicated Cold Case Unit in 2020 to review long-standing investigations.
Sheriff Staly stated that investigators believe the death was accidental. Authorities surmise that Combs drove down 18th Road, which formerly ended at a boat ramp, and accidentally entered the water. The ramp has since been blocked. The current reportedly carried the vehicle north to the location where it was eventually discovered. “It really does appear that it was an accident at this point,” Staly told reporters.
Investigative Outlook
The resolution of the Mary Lou Combs case illustrates the operational necessity of dedicated cold case units within local law enforcement agencies. By leveraging inter-agency cooperation with the FBI, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office was able to access specialized diving and forensic resources required to process a complex underwater crime scene that had degraded over two decades. This case further highlights the importance of re-examining historical geographical features, such as decommissioned boat ramps, when analyzing traffic-related disappearances in coastal regions.
