More than 40 years after Rose Marie Gayhart went missing from Cape Coral, Florida, her remains have been identified.
The Cape Coral Police Department issued a news release on July 24, stating that remains found in a canal in northeast Cape Coral in May 2024 have been identified as the 23-year-old last seen alive outside a diner in Cape Coral, Florida on March 21, 1985.
Dateline featured Rose’s story in its ‘Cold Case Spotlight’ series in March of 2021. “She would never just take off and not ever contact us,” Rose’s sister Laurie told Dateline in 2021. “We were best friends, she would’ve reached out to me.”
“For more than forty years, Rose Marie Gayhart’s family has carried the weight of not knowing what happened to her,” Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore wrote in the release. “While this identification brings long-awaited answers, it also strengthens our resolve.”
That resolve is now to find out what happened to Rose all those years ago and who was responsible.
“No matter how much time passes, even after four decades, our investigations do not stop, and our pursuit of justice does not end,” Sizemore stressed. “This is now considered an active homicide investigation, and we are committed to following every lead.”
Anyone with information that could help solve Rose’s case is asked to call the Cape Coral Police Department in Florida at 239-574-3223.
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