Human remains found in Florida have been identified as Rose Marie Gayhart. She was a 23-year-old woman who vanished over 40 years ago. Her parents reported her missing in March 1985 in Dansville, New York. At that time, Gayhart lived and worked around Cape Coral and North Fort Myers, as reported by the Cape Coral Police Department.
Details of the Disappearance
Gayhart lived with her boyfriend, Robert Paddock, and his mother in Southwest Florida. Her family became worried when her frequent letters and calls stopped. They felt something was wrong, noting her relationship with Paddock wasn’t perfect. Witnesses said she was last seen walking with a suitcase after being evicted from the trailer where she lived. Crime Stoppers mentioned she used a neighbor’s phone to call her family and talked about being pregnant.
Witness Accounts
Neighbors in the trailer park reported loud arguments and sounds of objects breaking. Gayhart had begun working at Howie’s Hot Dogs. Her boyfriend reportedly went to pick her up, but she had left with someone in a red pickup truck. Two witnesses saw her with a white male in that vehicle. Identifying the man remains crucial to solve the case.
Discovery and Investigation
In May 2024, a kayaker found a skull in a Cape Coral canal. Florida authorities, with New York law enforcement help, used DNA from Gayhart’s family to identify her remains. The process took two years, providing proof of her identity.
For more than 40 years, Rose Marie Gayhart’s family has carried the weight of not knowing what happened to her,said Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore in a news release.
The case, long considered cold, is now an active homicide investigation. Cape Coral Police continue to seek information. Sizemore urges anyone with knowledge to assist in finding answers and closure for Gayhart’s family.
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