Workers searching for a missing Fort Lauderdale woman Tuesday night found a submerged vehicle in the water near where her car was last known to be. Inside the vehicle were human remains.
But it wasn’t the missing woman’s car. And it wasn’t the missing woman.
“The search for my mother will help another family achieve closure,” said John Tormey, a Plantation man whose mom, Carol Tormey, 81, vanished more than a week ago. It’s little consolation for a Broward family clinging to hope that their missing loved one, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, might somehow have defied their worst fears and still be alive somewhere in South Florida.
Tormey was last seen on July 21. Her family had taken away her car as her dementia worsened, said her son, John, who shares his name with his father. Apparently she got hold of her husband’s keys and drove off from their Harbor Beach home about 8:30 p.m. in his black 2018 Chevy Colorado.
John Tormey Sr. woke up about 12:20 a.m. to find his wife and vehicle missing. He has barely slept since.
“He’s worried,” his son said. “We all are.”
Body of missing Fort Lauderdale woman found in Miramar canal, family says
The Tormey family rallied in the days following the matriarch’s disappearance, attracting the attention of several investigators who volunteered their time to assist in the search. Among them was the St. Petersburg-area company Sunshine State Sonar, which was looking for Tormey Tuesday night when one of its volunteers noticed a submerged vehicle in the retention pond along southbound Interstate 75 and the Miramar Parkway exit.
That vehicle turned out to be a blue 2011 Honda Civic. The Miramar Police Department referred questions to the Florida Highway Patrol, which did not return a call seeking comment Wednesday.
The missing Fort Lauderdale woman’s son said he has checked into every South Florida report of unidentified women in parks, porches and streets, wondering whether those accounts will lead to the end of his search.
“I’ve gotten over 200 of those calls,” he said. Most come without pictures, so it’s impossible to draw a conclusion. “The next time you see her, take a picture and send it to this number,” he said, referring to the phone number — 305-978-0940 — posted on hundreds of missing persons flyers distributed throughout Broward County.
While Tormey has not given up hope of finding his mother alive, he said he recognizes that the chances grow slimmer with each passing hour.
“I’m not ignorant,” he said. “I understand it’s a possibility that she’s gone. But we’re a family of faith and we have been praying.”
Air tags helped the family track the missing woman’s likely movements from the time she was last seen. According to the family, Tormey traveled from Harbor Beach in Fort Lauderdale to Deerfield Beach, then south to Hallandale Beach Boulevard, turning west until the road turned into Miramar Parkway.
Somewhere around Dania Beach, the vehicle picked up speed, a possible indicator that someone else may have been driving, her son said.
Speculation aside, the Tormeys are holding out hope.
Before she retired, Carol Tormey was a physical therapist who helped pediatric patients and others recover from burns and other injuries.
“She has helped the public for most of her career,” her son said. “It’s time for the public to help her now.”
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.
