User:Skyestorm87/sandbox
Sunshine State Sonar
[edit]Sunshine State Sonar is a volunteer organization based out of St Petersburg Florida in Pinellas county founded by Michael Sullivan with a mission to use underwater sonar technology to aid in missing-person cases across the state of Florida. He and a team of volunteers search free of charge, to dive and locate vehicles that belong to the missing.[1]
Background
[edit]Sunshine State Sonar was founded by Michael Sullivan in May of 2022. Following in the footsteps of his brother and sharing the common interest and passion of helping families find resolution, John Martin from Lakeland, Florida in Polk County stepped in to dedicate his time to the search efforts. Michael was inspired by the Work of SAR groups such as Texas Equusearch[2] and Adventures with purpose[3] and their success of locating missing persons with their vehicles all across the country. Michaels initial search efforts started with a case of a local missing man from Pinellas county Florida named Robert Helphrey who had went missing in May of 2006 in his silver Mitsubishi Outlander after leaving his place of employment that evening but never arrived home.
It was during this search of Robert Helphrey he caught the attention of another online missing person cold case researcher from Hampton Roads Virginia named Shelly Mckinney who specialized in using satellite and GIS Maps to organize and track missing persons last known locations and potential search locations who then officially joined the team in November of 2022
Search Methods
[edit]Sunshine State Sonar uses a small 6ft BIC Sportyak 245[4] Tender Boat to search different ponds, lakes, canals etc. This type of craft makes transport from one body of water to to the next location with ease to help expedite the search process. Sunshine State Sonar use Google Projects or Google My Maps[5] to make their search map projects prior to their searches. The group pre-plans one weekend a month to conduct their searches. The team compiles Data for accidents involving vehicles and waterways including why they occur, how frequently they are occurring, repeat accident locations, as well as advocating for road and guardrail safety.
research in cases includes but not limited to using open source investigative tools such as missing persons databases including
| case | Name | Missing since | Date recovered | Missing for | location missing | Location found | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karen moore[6] | 06-26-2001 | 01-26-2023 | 22 years | Davie, Fl | Davie, FL | Broward County |
| 2 | Robert Heikka[7] | 10-26-2020 | 04-08-2023 | 3 years | Port Orange, Fl | New Smyrna beach, Fl | Volusia County |
| 3 | Robert Helphrey[8] | 05-22-2006 | 04-13-2023 | 17 years | Palm Harbor, Fl | Palm Harbor, Fl | Pinellas County |
| 4 | Sarah Dreyer[9] | 04-04-2023 | 04-19-2023 | 2 weeks | Riverview, Fl | Riverview, Fl | Hillsboro County |
| 5 | Hiram Martinez | 07-22-1992 | 09-09-2023 | 31 years | Hialeah, Fl | Miami, Fl | Miami-Dade County |
| 6 | Sandra Lemire[10] | 05-08-2012 | 12-30-2023 | 12 years | Orlando, Fl | Kissimmee, Fl | Osceola County |
| 7 | Maureen Sherman[11] | 05-01-1985 | 01-05-2024 | 38 years | Miami, Fl | Miami, Fl | Miami-Dade County |
| 8 | Kareem Tisdale | 12-16-2005 | 01-06-2024 | 19 years | Ft Lauderdale, Fl | Sunrise, Fl | Broward County |
| 9 | Eduardo Graterol[12] | 10-21-2018 | 07-30-2024 | 6 years | Pembroke Pines | Miramar, Fl | Broward County |
| 10 | Caren Wurst/Doris wurst[13] | 11-07-1974 | 08-10-2024 | 50 years | Plantation, Fl | Plantation, Fl | Broward County |
| 11 | Bernard Novick[14] | 2004 | 08-10-2024 | 20 years | Lauderdale, Fl | Plantation, Fl | Broward County |
| 12 | Charles/Catherine Romer[15] | 04-08-1980 | 11-22-2024 | 44 years | Brunswick, Ga | Brunswick, Ga | Glynn County |
- ^ Silver, Catherine (2024-01-02). "Meet the volunteers who work part-time solving missing persons cases across Florida". WKMG. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ "Texas EquuSearch Search And Recovery Non-Profit". Texas EquuSearch Search and Recovery. Archived from the original on 2024-12-07. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ "Adventures With Purpose - Missing Person Cold Case Investigations". Adventures With Purpose. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ "Bic Sportyak 245 – Bic Boats Direct". Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ The Adventures Of Lone Wolf (2024-03-27). A Few Minutes With Shelly Of Sunshine State Sonar. Retrieved 2024-12-15 – via YouTube.
- ^ Crowley, Kinsey. "'To have her home': Volunteers scour Florida waters providing hope for families of the missing". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ Myers, Amanda Lee. "Florida teacher's disappearance was mystery for years until volunteers spotted car in canal". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ "Pinellas County Sonar Experts Specialize In Helping Law Enforcement Solve Cold Cases". Palm Harbor, FL Patch. 2023-04-23. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ "Sarah Dreyer: Florida mom who vanished after dropping children off at school found dead days later". https://meaww.com. 2023-04-20. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ "Remains of Orlando mom who vanished in 2012 found in pond near Disney World, rescue group says". NBC News. 2024-01-02. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ Crowley, Kinsey. "Human remains believed to belong to woman missing since 1985 found in car in Miami canal". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ Batchelor, Roy Ramos, Amanda (2024-08-01). "Truck found in canal during search for missing Fort Lauderdale woman; relatives confirm her body was found". WPLG. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Smith, Stephen (2024-08-14). "Florida divers find likely remains of mom, daughter who vanished in 1974 — as well as long-missing WWII vet - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ Perez, Andrew (2024-08-13). "Decades of uncertainty end for 2 families as missing loved ones found in Plantation canals". WPLG. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ "Nonprofit rescue team shares tactics for finding car investigated in 44-year-old cold case". firstcoastnews.com. 2024-11-25. Retrieved 2024-12-15.