Remains of mother and child missing since 1974 found in canal, police say

By Gail Levy, Kathleen Ditton, Kevin Boulandier

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    PLANTATION, Florida (WSVN) — Skeletal remains believed to belong to a mother and child who disappeared nearly 50 years ago have been discovered in a submerged vehicle in Plantation, police said.

Doris Wurst, 35, and her daughter, Caren, were reported missing on November 12, 1974. They vanished with Wurst’s red and white 1961 Chevrolet Impala from their home in the Sunshine City Trailer Park, which no longer exists. Despite multiple investigations over the years, the case remained cold.

On Saturday, a volunteer sonar search team found a 1960s Chevrolet Impala in a canal near the 10100 block of West Broward Boulevard.

Scuba divers and detectives from the Plantation Police Department, along with the Broward Sheriff’s Office Forensic Dive Team, confirmed the presence of skeletal remains consistent with an adult and a small child inside the vehicle, Plantation Police said in a news release.

“We go to those areas of where they were last seen and we search all the waterways,” said Sunshine State Sonar Founder Mike Sullivan.

While the remains are believed to be those of Doris and Caren Wurst, official identification is pending DNA and dental records.

7News cameras showed a rusty and rotten car being towed out of the water and onto land.

The discovery comes decades after efforts to find the mother, child and vehicle spanned multiple investigations from 1975 through 2018, all yielding no results.

The case had turned cold until Sunshine State Sonar, a volunteer search organization, began a pro bono search in June 2023, using advanced sonar technology.

“We would go to the Plantation area and, every now and then, chip away at it. Hit five, 10, 15 bodies of water and see if we can come across that 1961 Chevy Impala,” said Sullivan.

Then on Saturday, as Sullivan and his brother were on their six-foot-long sonar boat scanning near where Caren and her mother used to live, they detected an odd-looking shape.

“After diving in, you know, we were able to confirm that it was the ’61 Impala, Red Chevy Impala,” said Sullivan.

Sullivan said something inside the car was a sign that they had found the people they sought.

“A vintage Fisher-Price kids toy and it was a pretty emotional moment for both of us. That was all we needed to know. To us, that was baby Caren. She was 3 years old. That was her thing to us. ‘You found me,’” said Sullivan.

Sullivan immediately called the police and they began the recovery process.

For 48 hours following the discovery, BSO divers removed items from the car, including clothes, shoes, a saxophone and the remains of both missing people.

“I’m a dad myself and when a child is involved, it’s definitely different,” said Sullivan.

Sullivan said the hard work is worth it as it brings closure to many families after so many years.

“I’m just glad that it all came together in the end,” said Sullivan.

Sullivan said he and his brother have been working on solving cold cases for three years after they got the sonar boat and hope to continue bringing closures to families.

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