Resolved FL- West Palm Beach, lake south of 45th Street east of Interstate 95, UID remains, in submerged late 80's car, 9 Feb. 2024 - NOT HUMAN

[dotr]

Car with remains inside found submerged in West Palm Beach lake

Divers in West Palm Beach found a car with what they believe are human remains in it in a lake Friday morning.

www.wpbf.com

''Police believe the car may have submerged for more than 30 years.

Volunteers with two groups, Adventures with Purpose and Sunshine State Sonar Search Team, were searching the lake just south of 45th Street and just east of Interstate 95.

The volunteers called West Palm Beach police.

Police said the car was found buried in silt in about 12 ½ feet of water and about 35 feet from the shore.''

 

[PayrollNerd]

I'm sure they have to line up special equipment and divers to get that vehicle out.

Snips:

They said the car is heavily damaged, both from what looked like a violent crash and from being in the water for a long time.

Investigators said the car is a late 80s model.

For now, the car remains in the water.

Car with remains inside found submerged in West Palm Beach lake

Divers in West Palm Beach found a car with what they believe are human remains in it in a lake Friday morning.

www.wpbf.com

 

[PromotedPawn]

Praying this discovery brings peace to a family who has been waiting decades for answers.

 

[ifindedout]

This looks like the location

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[DS2021]

Were they looking for someone in particular?

 

[PayrollNerd]

NEWS ALERT ! Vehicle located with remains in West Palm Beach



While conducting a missing persons search in the West Palm Beach area yesterday, we located a submerged vehicle on interstate 95. The car was located near southwest I-95 and south of 45th Street. Vehicle was found in 12.5 feet of water and was about 30 to 40 feet from shore. This is in the southbound lane near exit 74. We identified the vehicle as a mid 1980s Honda Prelude. Vehicle showed signs indicative of a motor vehicle accident. After diving on the vehicle, we found what appeared to be human remains. 
West Palm Beach Police Department was notified and is investigating. Medical examiner took possession of remains. The vehicle was removed from the lake earlier today. This is an ongoing investigation. We will not have any further comment at this time.

https://www.facebook.com/Sunshinestatesonar/posts/pfbid0bowj7PhAAiSGRJzcYqXaTCLD2oc9BzXvkMjqhXn7SfwHeze46UoRrnd4vmVpJbxCl

 

[ifindedout]

I'm thinking this was a 1-car accident on the SB lanes of 95, possibly a glancing collision with the shoulder concrete barrier at a high rate of speed, and the car went airborne and into the water, without hitting the fence or the guardrail on the outer edge of the on-ramp.

 

[carbuff]

I did a search on Doenetwork and Namus for anybody who disappeared with a Honda Prelude, but didn't come up with much.

Edgar Forbes was driving a red Honda when he disappeared in 1995, but it was a Civic, not a Prelude, and also too new. But he did disappear in Palm Beach County. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

4074DMCA - Paul Steven Cosner disappeared with an orange Honda Prelude, but he was in California and is thought to be a murder victim

3300DMCA - John Cash Honda Civic, from Oregon.

Of course lots of cases don't mention what the missing person was driving, so this is hardly exhaustive.

 

[PromotedPawn]

I did a search on Doenetwork and Namus for anybody who disappeared with a Honda Prelude, but didn't come up with much.

Edgar Forbes was driving a red Honda when he disappeared in 1995, but it was a Civic, not a Prelude, and also too new. But he did disappear in Palm Beach County. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

4074DMCA - Paul Steven Cosner disappeared with an orange Honda Prelude, but he was in California and is thought to be a murder victim

3300DMCA - John Cash Honda Civic, from Oregon.

Of course lots of cases don't mention what the missing person was driving, so this is hardly exhaustive.

WOW, great finds! I went down that rabbit hole as well. I was able to find a Google doc with a bunch of missing people and their vehicles. Interesting, but nothing that really fits with this one. I guess we will have to wait for an ID.

 

[MagicCityMan]

How can they be so definitive on make and model based on that sonar image?
I wonder if sonar can give very precise dimensions and from those they can plug in and get results....I have a decent eye for cars and would not have gotten mid 80s Prelude from that image.
These people doing this work are special. Heroic in every single sense of the word.

 

[Hestia's Fire]

How can they be so definitive on make and model based on that sonar image?
I wonder if sonar can give very precise dimensions and from those they can plug in and get results....I have a decent eye for cars and would not have gotten mid 80s Prelude from that image.
These people doing this work are special. Heroic in every single sense of the word.

They dove on the vehicle after spotting it on sonar, which is how they knew there were remains inside, and likely how they were able to confirm the make and model.
From the article linked above:

After diving on the vehicle, we found what appeared to be human remains.

 

[carbuff]

"Medical examiner took possession of remains. The vehicle was removed from the lake earlier today. This is an ongoing investigation." The Sunshine State Sonar page on Facebook says the car was recovered, so unless it's very badly decayed, they know the make and model for sure. Might even have a VIN.

https://www.facebook.com/Sunshinestatesonar/posts/370299765747136

 

[dotr]

Tow truck removes 1980s vehicle that contained bones from waterway

A car believed to be a late 1980s model that contained unknown bones was removed by a tow truck from a West Palm Beach waterway on Saturday.

www.wptv.com

'Dave Yurkovich, an independent diver who was working with Adventures with Purpose, told WPTV it was a 1987 Honda Prelude with its keys still in the ignition.''

Feb 10, 2024
A car believed to be a late 1980s model that contained unknown bones was removed by a tow truck from a West Palm Beach waterway on Saturday.

 

[Tired Professor]

"Medical examiner took possession of remains. The vehicle was removed from the lake earlier today. This is an ongoing investigation." The Sunshine State Sonar page on Facebook says the car was recovered, so unless it's very badly decayed, they know the make and model for sure. Might even have a VIN.

https://www.facebook.com/Sunshinestatesonar/posts/370299765747136

Any chance the husband could have driven all that way to ditch a body and a car?

Penelope Marie Madanat – The Charley Project

Long shot, I know, but it’s all I found so far.

 

[carbuff]

Any chance the husband could have driven all that way to ditch a body and a car?

Penelope Marie Madanat – The Charley Project

Long shot, I know, but it’s all I found so far.

Fifteen hours, per Google maps. Not impossible. It doesn't sound like he was out of Bossier City for that long, though.

That's probably a better possibility than anything I've found.

My late in-laws used to live just a little south of this location. Lots and lots of elderly people who shouldn't be driving. I'm more inclined to think somebody like that drove into the water--but you'd think in that case there would be a missing person report.

 

[dotr]

Any chance the husband could have driven all that way to ditch a body and a car?

Penelope Marie Madanat – The Charley Project

Long shot, I know, but it’s all I found so far.

Interesting.. rbbm
''Eddie told investigators that Penelope was intoxicated and he offered to drive her home in his black Honda Prelude. Eddie said that they continued the argument inside the vehicle and she demanded to exit the car. He claimed that Penelope began walking down Gould Drive in Bossier City as he drove himself home.''

 

[carbuff]

Interesting.. rbbm
''Eddie told investigators that Penelope was intoxicated and he offered to drive her home in his black Honda Prelude. Eddie said that they continued the argument inside the vehicle and she demanded to exit the car. He claimed that Penelope began walking down Gould Drive in Bossier City as he drove himself home.''

The circumstances seem to fit rather well, minus the long distance.

Her Namus doesn't include the information about the husband or the car. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

741DFLA - Penelope Madanat

 

[dotr]

The circumstances seem to fit rather well, minus the long distance.

Her Namus doesn't include the information about the husband or the car. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

741DFLA - Penelope Madanat

ETA, found established thread, sorry..

LA - LA - Penny Madanat, 23, Bossier City, 26 Oct 1991

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/madanat_penelope.html Important details above at Charley Project Link. http://identifyla.lsu.edu/profile.php?id=229 http://bossiercity.crimestoppersweb.com/missing.aspx If you have information or have spoken to Police in the past please call: the...

www.websleuths.com

 

[Hestia's Fire]

Even the distance/time to get from LA to FL could be explained if he moved her body later, not necessarily right after he killed her. He certainly wouldn't be the first murderer to relocate the remains after a few days or weeks, once he had time to formulate a plan.

Per one of the articles linked in Penny's thread:

Penny's mother says he failed two lie detector test after Penny went missing. Butler also remembers the morning after penny never came home. She said Eddie came to the house to pick up their child the next day and she noticed marks on him.

So it seems unlikely that he could have killed her, driven her body to Florida immediately and pushed the Prelude into the lake with her in it, then somehow gotten back to LA in time to go get the child. But, it wouldn't have been impossible for him to have killed her (maybe at home), stashed her body somewhere for a bit, then put her in the car and driven it to Florida later, before taking the child and fleeing the country.

 

[Blurgle]

Lots and lots of elderly people who shouldn't be driving. I'm more inclined to think somebody like that drove into the water--but you'd think in that case there would be a missing person report.

If they had family to make the report. Lots of people are either estranged from their family or have outlived them all.