Human remains discovered by a kayaker in a Cape Coral, Florida canal have been identified as Rose Marie Gayhart, a 23-year-old woman who was reported missing in March 1985. The Cape Coral Police Department confirmed the identification through DNA testing, which linked the remains to Gayhart's family in New York. This identification marks a significant development in a cold case that has spanned nearly four decades.
Gayhart had moved to the southwest Florida area just three months prior to her disappearance and was living and working in Cape Coral and North Fort Myers. She was last known to be living with her boyfriend, Robert Paddock, and his mother. According to a 2013 video from Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers, Gayhart's family became concerned when her frequent letters and phone calls abruptly stopped.
Witnesses at the time reported that Gayhart was last seen leaving her residence after an argument, carrying a suitcase and heading to a neighbor's house to call her family. She informed the neighbor that she was pregnant and intended to keep the baby, information that her boyfriend reportedly did not want.
Gayhart had recently started working at Howie's Hot Dogs in Cape Coral. Restaurant staff told authorities that she left work with a man driving a red pickup truck. Two independent witnesses also reported seeing Gayhart with a white male in a red pickup truck shortly before she went missing.
In May 2024, a kayaker found a skull in a Cape Coral canal, prompting a police investigation. After a two-year effort by Florida authorities and a New York law enforcement agency to obtain DNA from Gayhart's family, testing confirmed the remains belonged to her.
Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore stated that while the identification provides answers to Gayhart's family, it also strengthens the department's resolve to solve the case. "No matter how much time passes, even after four decades, our investigations do not stop, and our pursuit of justice does not end," Sizemore said. The case is now classified as an active homicide investigation, and police are appealing to the public for any information that could lead to accountability and closure for the family.