Florida Highway Patrol Confirms Missing 49-Year-Old Woman Found Dead in Vehicle

A Florida dive team, along with law enforcement, were spotted at a pond Monday after a missing Palm Coast woman’s car was traced to the area.

Investigators are now saying that a body has been found inside the vehicle, NBC 2 reports. Police say the car found matches a vehicle that Erica Bergeron, 49, had been driving before she vanished.

The Florida Highway Patrol, which is investigating the crash, said that the victim inside the vehicle was a 49-year-old Jacksonville woman, according to the Daytona Beach News Journal. FHP does not identify crash victims.

FHP said the gray, 4-door Toyota sedan had been traveling northwest on Palm Harbor Parkway when, “for reasons unknown,” it veered off the highway, struck a tree, and continued into the pond.

The sheriff’s office announced in an email to news agencies later Monday evening that it was no longer looking for Bergeron.

According to Flagler Live, Bergeron was last seen outside of the Palm Coast Lanes bowling center, at 11 N Old Kings Road, on Thursday. She was reported missing on Sunday morning after her mother hadn’t heard from her in three days.

Bergeron’s mother told police that Bergeron had recently moved into a new home off Lindsay Drive in Palm Coast and had some health issues. Law enforcement forced their way into the residence but didn’t find Bergeron inside. Her car was not in the driveway.

On Monday, a dive team found the car submerged car in a pond off Matanzas Woods Parkway and Palm Harbor Parkway.

“There are tire tracks leading from the roadway going over where the tree once stood and leading into the pond that suggests a vehicle may have possibly transversed the sidewalk, struck a tree and went into the pond,” Chief David Williams said.

Erica Bergeron/Flager County Sheriff’s Office

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Bergeron is described as standing described as 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing about 165 pounds. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said. She was last seen wearing a gold or tan sleeveless top and jeans.