PALM COAST, Fla. – Human remains found in the Intracoastal Waterway last year are those of a Flagler County woman who disappeared more than two decades ago, the sheriff’s office announced Thursday.
Mary Lou Combs of Palm Coast was reported missing in August of 2003.
In October of 2025, a dive team found a vehicle upside down and partially buried in the Intracoastal Waterway. Divers recovered the human remains, a Florida driver’s license, car parts, and toys that were later identified by Combs’ daughter.
Investigators believe Combs accidentally drove into the water at the end of 18th Road and that the vehicle drifted before capsizing and sinking.
In February, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office announced that it believed Combs’ remains had been found.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office says testing of the remains by labs at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification confirmed DNA matches with one of Combs’ children and two of her siblings.
Sheriff Rick Staly says this cold case is now closed.
“I want to thank everyone again for their efforts on this case to finally bring Mary Lou’s family some answers after over two decades of uncertainty,” Staly said in a news release.