Car Of NH Woman Missing Since 1978 Found Submerged In Connecticut River

LANCASTER, N.H. (CBS) -- A 43-year-old mystery was solved in New Hampshire on Thursday, thanks in part to New Hampshire State Police, the NH Fish and Game Department and Sonar technology.

Alberta Leeman went missing on July 26, 1978. She and her 1972 Pontiac Lemans have not been seen since.

During a recent training mission for the NH Fish and Game Department Law Enforcement Division, the ROV/Sonar Team located what appeared to be a car in the Connecticut River in Lancaster.

On Thursday, a dive team conducted a follow-up search and discovered the license plate on the vehicle matched Leeman's Pontiac from 1978. Officials said it appears the car has been there since Leeman went missing.

"The dedication and determination 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," said the NH Fish and Game Department Law Enforcement Division on Facebook.

In 2018, the Sonar Team found skeletal remains of Tony Imondi inside a car that had been submerged for 20 years in the Androscoggin River.