- Fifteen years ago, a woman named Tina Martin went missing in North Carolina.
- Tina Taylor Martin was last seen or heard from on February 12, 2008, at 7:00 AM.
- A diver also confirmed that the submerged car was a white 1996 Ford Thunderbird Coupe.
Tina Martin missing case in N.C. is reopened after finding a new lead fifteen years later.
Tina Taylor Martin was last seen or heard from on February 12, 2008, at 7:00 AM. According to her family, she called them on the morning of her disappearance to notify them that she had lost her job.
Further investigation revealed that Tina was driving a white 1996 Ford Thunderbird Coupe, NC, registration TNJ-2783 when she disappeared.
On Monday, February 6, Catawba County Sheriff’s Investigators received information regarding a car submerged in Lake Norman’s Mountain Creek. The tip was given by a fisherman who spotted the vehicle using a sonar fish finder in about 25 feet of water.
Acting upon the fisherman’s tip, investigators confirmed the presence of a vehicle underwater by using a submersible robot.
A diver also confirmed that the submerged car was a white 1996 Ford Thunderbird Coupe.
Investigators told Channel 9′s Dave Faherty that a fisherman found the car in the Mountain Creek area of Lake Norman on Mount Pleasant Road.
Channel 9′s Dave Faherty posted a video on Twitter captioned, ‘Breaking Catawba Co- divers are in the water right now after a fisherman found a car possibly linked to a missing persons case from the mid 2000’s. They’re working to raise the vehicle now. The latest on the investigation today on channel 9 eyewitness news at noon and five.’
Breaking Catawba Co- divers are in the water right now after a fisherman found a car possibly linked to a missing persons case from the mid 2000’s. They’re working to raise the vehicle now. The latest on the investigation today on channel 9 eyewitness news at noon and five.
— Dave Faherty (@FahertyWSOC9) February 8, 2023The sheriff’s office confirmed that the vehicle looked similar to the one that belonged to then-43-year-old Tina Martin.
After locating the car accurately, investigators worked with salvage companies to procure the vehicle from the lake. According to WSOC, a tow truck was used to pull the car out of the lake.
Some human remains were also discovered with the vehicle. DNA testing is now being sought to ensure the remains belong to Tina Martin.
The Sheriff’s Office is in contact with the medical examiner’s office and is looking to get a D.N.A. analysis completed. The conditions surrounding Tina Martin’s disappearance remain under investigation.
The Sheriff’s office has refused to make any comments or give out any details regarding the case.
At the time of Tina’s disappearance, Faherty learned that the section of the road going towards Lake Norman did not have some of the safety features it has today, including guardrails.
“I can’t speak to why the vehicle ended up in the lake,” Catawba County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Aaron Turk said. “It is my understanding that some of these guardrails were not fully in place back during the time of the initial disappearance.”
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