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Human remains have been found inside a vehicle that was discovered submerged in the Connecticut River and that is believed to belong to a woman who hasn’t been seen alive in 43 years, police said Friday.Alberta Leeman, of Gorham, New Hampshire, went missing in 1978. Her disappearance is not considered suspicious, police said. Officials said the investigation is continuing to determine whether the remains are Leeman’s.The car is located in about 14 feet of water south of the Mt. Orne Covered Bridge that connects Lancaster, New Hampshire, with Lunenburg, Vermont.”The vehicle that was found yesterday is a 1972 Pontiac LeMans with a license plate of OB610, which is the license plate that was registered to Ms. Leeman at that time,” said Fish and Game Lt. Robert Mancini.The vehicle was found by a New Hampshire Fish and Game search team led by Officer Joe Canfield using new sonar equipment.”Without the equipment and without Officer Canfield’s grit and determination, I don’t know if this closure would have been possible,” Mancini said.How the vehicle ended up in the river is under investigation. “Alberta Leeman was in Gilman, Vermont, on July 25, 1978, and she was heading back towards the Gorham area on that day,” Mancini said.Leeman’s daughter was at the scene Friday while crews searched. She told WMUR she never gave up looking for her mother and is grateful law enforcement did not stop either.She said she’s hopeful she can finally bring her mother home after all these years. Anyone with information about Leeman’s disappearance is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Matthew Koehler at 603-223-8890 or via email at matthew.koehler@dos.nh.gov. WMUR’s Tim Callery first broke news of the search on his Twitter account.
Human remains have been found inside a vehicle that was discovered submerged in the Connecticut River and that is believed to belong to a woman who hasn’t been seen alive in 43 years, police said Friday.
Alberta Leeman, of Gorham, New Hampshire, went missing in 1978. Her disappearance is not considered suspicious, police said. Officials said the investigation is continuing to determine whether the remains are Leeman’s.
The car is located in about 14 feet of water south of the Mt. Orne Covered Bridge that connects Lancaster, New Hampshire, with Lunenburg, Vermont.
“The vehicle that was found yesterday is a 1972 Pontiac LeMans with a license plate of OB610, which is the license plate that was registered to Ms. Leeman at that time,” said Fish and Game Lt. Robert Mancini.
The vehicle was found by a New Hampshire Fish and Game search team led by Officer Joe Canfield using new sonar equipment.
“Without the equipment and without Officer Canfield’s grit and determination, I don’t know if this closure would have been possible,” Mancini said.
How the vehicle ended up in the river is under investigation.
“Alberta Leeman was in Gilman, Vermont, on July 25, 1978, and she was heading back towards the Gorham area on that day,” Mancini said.
Leeman’s daughter was at the scene Friday while crews searched. She told WMUR she never gave up looking for her mother and is grateful law enforcement did not stop either.
She said she’s hopeful she can finally bring her mother home after all these years.
Anyone with information about Leeman’s disappearance is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Matthew Koehler at 603-223-8890 or via email at matthew.koehler@dos.nh.gov.
WMUR’s Tim Callery first broke news of the search on his Twitter account.