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Car pulled from Lake Norman belonged to missing woman, had human remains inside, deputies say

The Catawba County Sheriff's Office said the Ford Thunderbird recovered Wednesday belonged to Tina Martin. She's been missing since 2008.

LAKE NORMAN OF CATAWBA, N.C. — A car that was pulled out of Lake Norman on Wednesday belongs to a woman who hasn't been seen for nearly 15 years, according to the Catawba County Sheriff's Office. Human remains were also found inside.

Deputies said they were tipped off to the likelihood of a submerged vehicle on Monday, Feb. 6 in the Mountain Creek area of the lake. A fisherman reported seeing a shape consistent with a car while using a sonar device. 

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Deputies said Sherills Ford-Terrell Fire Rescue deployed an underwater robot into the water, confirming the car was there.

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Credit: (file photo)
Two photos of Tina Martin

Crews were able to recover the car on Wednesday, further confirming that it was the 1996 Ford Thunderbird driven by Tina Martin. Martin went missing from her Catawba County home in Feb. 2008 and was 43 years old at the time.

Deputies also confirmed human remains were found within, and have notified Martin's next of kin. DNA testing is now being sought; as of publication, the remains have not been positively identified.

The circumstances surrounding Martin's disappearance still remain under investigation.

After this discovery, former law enforcement shed light on the process and effort to solve cold cases, saying an empowered public can be the greatest factor in cracking cases.  

Former FBI Agent M. Quentin Williams told WCNC Charlotte that the public can change the tide in an investigation.

"The public is going to be the answer for cold cases, I'd say nine times out of 10," Williams said.

Williams said that many times, people believe they have information that's not important -- but even the smallest fact could help investigators.

While collecting evidence with technology is easier, and expanding DNA databases helps in cases, the biggest motivator for a detective is being close to the family.

"There are some really good investigators who are committed to solving cold cases and you become close to the family," Williams said. "It really gets you going."

He said the evidence is always there, it's just a matter of finding it in the right places.

"Lots of times, it comes down to a witness, either a witness who knew about the case and didn't say anything or someone who stumbles upon something," Williams explained.

Contact Colin Mayfield at cmayfield@wcnc.com or follow him on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

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