Human remains discovered by a kayaker in Florida have been identified as belonging to Rose Marie Gayhart, a 23-year-old woman who vanished over four decades ago. Gayhart was reported missing in March 1985 by her parents from Dansville, New York. Before disappearing, she was known to reside and work in Cape Coral and North Fort Myers, as stated by the Cape Coral Police Department.
Investigators have been actively searching for Gayhart since her disappearance in southwest Florida. Reports indicate she was living with her boyfriend, Robert Paddock, and his mother, as per information from Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers recorded in a 2013 video focusing on the unresolved case. Gayhart had relocated to the region three months before going missing, according to Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore.
Gayhart’s sudden stop in communication with her family via letters and phone calls raised immediate concern among her loved ones. They suspected problems in her relationship with her boyfriend, amplified by Crime Stoppers’ data noting their imperfect relationship.
“That’s when she told her neighbor that she was pregnant and she wanted to keep the baby, but her boyfriend did not want her to keep the baby,”
Detectives found evidence indicating Gayhart was last noticed walking away with a suitcase after being evicted from the trailer they shared. A neighbor provided insight suggesting Gayhart used her phone to contact her family under distress.
Additional witness testimonies suggested tumultuous activities in the trailer park, marked by arguing and destructive incidents. She reportedly started a job at Howie’s Hot Dogs in Cape Coral around this period.
Gayhart’s boyfriend reportedly went to collect her but found she was not present at her workplace. Restaurant staff revealed she departed with a man in a red pickup truck. Two separate witnesses corroborated sightings of Gayhart with a white male in a red pickup truck before her disappearance.
Identifying this individual is considered a crucial element in resolving the case.
Decades Later
In May 2024, a kayaker spotted a human skull in a canal in northeast Cape Coral, prompting police notification. Cooperation with New York law enforcement enabled Florida authorities to obtain DNA samples from Gayhart’s family. After two years, the skull’s analysis confirmed Gayhart’s identity.
Chief Sizemore disclosed in a statement, “For more than 40 years, Rose Marie Gayhart’s family has carried the weight of not knowing what happened to her. While this identification brings long-awaited answers, it also strengthens our resolve. No matter how much time passes, even after four decades, our investigations do not stop, and our pursuit of justice does not end.”
The case, long considered inactive, has now been reopened as a homicide investigation.
Sizemore urged the public to offer information, aiming to achieve justice and closure for Gayhart’s family and the case.