Identified! NH - Vehicle in River, Woman Missing Since '78; Human Remains Found, Aug'21 - Alberta Leeman

[weepingangel]

Vehicle in River May Belong to Woman Missing Since '78; Human Remains Found

Authorities say a recently discovered vehicle that's been submerged in the Connecticut River for decades may belong to a New Hampshire woman who went missing in 1978.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department says the vehicle was recently found south of a covered bridge that connects Lancaster, New Hampshire, with Lunenburg, Vermont.

A Fish and Game dive team is actively searching the area around the vehicle. Human remains were found at the scene, state police said.

A preliminary investigation has revealed that the vehicle may belong to Alberta Leeman, of Gorham, New Hampshire, who disappeared in 1978. Her disappearance is not considered suspicious.

 

[weepingangel]

More info here
Divers found human remains and a submerged car in search for New Hampshire woman missing since 1978 | CNN

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Poor lady.

RIP Alberta. Condolences to family and friends.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Condolences to her family.

 

[MadMcGoo]

'You never give up': 43-year search for missing woman leads to submerged car in Lancaster

Rest peacefully now Alberta.

 

[annpats]

Who originally found the vehicle submerged in the river?

 

[TootsieFootsie]

After 43 Years, Police Say They Found Missing Grandmother's Car in River. Human Remains Were Discovered.


Leeman’s disappearance is not considered suspicious by investigators, though details raised some eyebrows in her family. For example, she had left her purse at home, and even had a cup of coffee on the table.

“Your mind goes that way anyway,” granddaughter Roxanne McLain, who was 16 when Albert went missing, told the Union Leader New Hampshire. “They got suspicious about where she could have gone. She could have been taken. Everything was left at home, except for herself and her car, so it looked suspicious.”

 

[TootsieFootsie]

The mystery was largely solved by a conservation officer named Joe Canfield, who "learned of a missing woman and her vehicle and took an interest in the case," according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division.

Canfield used regularly scheduled training sessions from the agency's Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV)/SONAR Team to focus on "areas that he thought were high-probability areas based on his research of the Leeman case," the agency said.
During a recent session, the search team discovered an apparent vehicle underwater in the Connecticut River. A dive team took over on August 5 and identified the car's license plate as one matching Leeman's 1978 Pontiac.

"The dedication of CO Canfield and the F&G ROV/SONAR Team has solved a 43-year-old mystery and finally given the Leeman family a sense of closure," the agency said.

Who originally found the vehicle submerged in the river?

 

[weepingangel]

Oooo I think I’ve seen that officer (Canfield) on the show North Woods Law

Log into Facebook | Facebook

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Canfield used regularly scheduled training sessions from the agency's Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV)/SONAR Team to focus on "areas that he thought were high-probability areas based on his research of the Leeman case,"

I find this incredible. Not only did he schedule training sessions in areas where a missing vehicle may have been submerged, which was a great idea, but he managed to find a specific one. Amazing work.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Wow amazing! I’m so happy for her granddaughter.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Searchers from several agencies head back to Connecticut River in connection with missing woman's case

Searchers will be back at the Connecticut River in Lancaster on Wednesday after the car of a woman who was last seen in 1978 was found there last month.

 

[Thora_Jay]

Alberta Leeman's remains were not confirmed when this thread was moved to Identified forum. It was only on Friday, 2 days ago on May 22, 2022 that DNA confirmed the positive id.

Investigators identify human remains found in vehicle submerged in Connecticut River for decades

The human remains found last year in a vehicle that was submerged in the Connecticut River in Lancaster for decades have been positively identified, investigators announced Friday.

www.wmur.com

LANCASTER, N.H. —
May 20,2022
The human remains found last year in a vehicle that was submerged in the Connecticut River in Lancaster for decades have been positively identified, investigators announced Friday.

Investigators said Leeman’s identity was confirmed by DNA testing by Bode Technology, which compared a DNA sample from Leeman’s relative to the body found in the vehicle, which was registered to Leeman.

More at link with video

Human remains in Conn. River identified as woman missing since ‘78

NH authorities say human remains found in a car in the Connecticut River last year are those of a woman who disappeared in 1978.

www.wcax.com

Published: May. 20, 2022 at 12:42 PM CDT

LANCASTER, N.H. (AP) — Human remains that were found in a car in the Connecticut River last year are those of a New Hampshire woman who disappeared in 1978 in a motor vehicle accident, authorities said Friday.

“The remains are those of Alberta Leeman, who was last seen in July, 1978,” New Hampshire State Police and other agencies said in a news release. “At the time of her disappearance, Ms. Leeman was 63 years old.”

DNA testing compared a DNA sample of a relative of Leeman to the human remains found within the vehicle, which was registered to her. The testing confirmed the identity of Leeman, who was from Gorham.

more at link

 

[Susikatze]

So looks like autopsy says she died on impact on scene from the blunt force injuries she sustained in the MVA and subsequently the car fell into the water from the bridge after the accident. Poor woman. But at least she did not have to miserably drown.

I wonder why nobody went searching for her around the accident scene

 

[Valiant]

So looks like autopsy says she died on impact on scene from the blunt force injuries she sustained in the MVA and subsequently the car fell into the water from the bridge after the accident. Poor woman. But at least she did not have to miserably drown.

I wonder why nobody went searching for her around the accident scene

I don't think they knew where the accident occurred until they found the car.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

archive.ph

 

[Susikatze]

I don't think they knew where the accident occurred until they found the car.

But it says "motor vehicle collision" which would suggest a second car being involved.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

But it says "motor vehicle collision" which would suggest a second car being involved.

Unless it was colliding with a tree, a river bank, a roadside fence, or some other object.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Traffic collision - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

A traffic collision, also called a motor vehicle collision, car accident or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. Traffic collisions often result in injury, disability, death, and property damage as well as financial costs to both society and the individuals involved. Road transport is the most dangerous situation people deal with on a daily basis, but casualty figures from such incidents attract less media attention than other, less frequent types of tragedy.[1]

 

[Susikatze]

Alright, thank you! What a sad ending. But at least she was killed on the spot and did not have to suffer a drowning death trapped in the car.