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The human remains found this Sunday inside a vehicle submerged in a pond in Plantation are believed to be connected to the disappearance of Libby Ann Dibenedetto, a mother of three who was last seen in April 2000.
The discovery was made by the Sunshine State Sonar team, an organization specialized in solving disappearances in South Florida, which located the vehicle—a 1996 gold Toyota Camry—13 feet deep in a pond near the intersection of West Sunrise Boulevard and North Flamingo Road.
Dibenedetto, 35 years old at the time of his disappearance, had gone out with friends to Duke's Bar and Grill in the city of Davie.
Her last known action was a call from a payphone to her therapist. After that, she vanished without a trace. Neither she nor her vehicle have been seen again, the search company noted on Facebook.
Libby lived in Sunrise with her mother and had recently gone through a divorce. Her disappearance left three young children without answers for more than two decades.
The Sunshine State Sonar team began the search in July 2022 and, since then, has conducted nearly 36 deployments in Broward County, inspecting around 400 bodies of water related to the Libby case and other similar ones.
The Plantation Police Department confirmed that the vehicle found is linked to an open missing persons case.
The authorities in Sunrise are awaiting the official identification of the remains to confirm that they belong to Dibenedetto.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Libby's family during this difficult time," stated Sunshine State Sonar in a message posted on social media.
The organization also thanked the fire and police departments of Plantation and Sunrise, as well as other local agencies and collaborators who supported the search and recovery efforts for the vehicle.
This finding marks a crucial breakthrough in one of the oldest unsolved cases in South Florida and provides long-awaited closure to the family of Libby Ann Dibenedetto after 25 years of uncertainty.
Last January, the same company, Sunshine State Sonar, was able to locate a 2003 Honda Odyssey van in a lake in Melbourne, Florida, which allowed a forensic team to identify inside it the remains of Katia Belaya, another mother who was reported missing in 2014.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Libby Ann Dibenedetto case and the discovery in Plantation
Who was Libby Ann Dibenedetto and when did she disappear?
Libby Ann Dibenedetto was a mother of three who went missing in April 2000, after going out with friends to a bar in Davie, Florida. Her disappearance left her family without answers for more than two decades.
How was the car related to the disappearance of Libby Ann Dibenedetto discovered?
The Sunshine State Sonar team located the car submerged in a pond in Plantation, Florida, at a depth of 13 feet. This organization specializes in aquatic searches to solve cold cases.
What progress has been made in the case of Libby Ann Dibenedetto after the discovery of the car?
The discovery of the car has been crucial in advancing the case, as it allows authorities to move closer to resolving one of the oldest unsolved cases in South Florida. Officials are waiting for the official identification of the remains found to confirm whether they belong to Libby.
What role does Sunshine State Sonar play in resolving missing persons cases in Florida?
Sunshine State Sonar is an organization known for its efficiency in the aquatic search for missing persons. They have worked on similar cases, such as that of Katia Belaya, successfully locating submerged vehicles and providing key clues to solve disappearances.
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