When someone goes missing, family members most often do everything in their power to find answers. Those answers can be heartbreaking. But knowing what happened, even if the person died, can be so important for families as they grieve, process, and eventually move on with their lives.
Unfortunately, sometimes there are no answers. People can disappear for years or even decades before a case is finally solved. And recently, a New Jersey family may have gotten a resolution after a mother went missing over 14 years ago.
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Bernadine Waters Gunner went missing in 2010.
In July 2010, Bernadine Waters Gunner was last seen alive by relatives. The 52-year-old mom from Camden, New Jersey, disappeared after telling them she planned to kill herself because she wasn't able to find a job, the New York Post reported. Fourteen years later, her family may have answers.
In May 2024, United Search Corps pulled a body from the Cooper River in New Jersey.
United Search Corps recovered what they and Gunner's relatives believe to be the missing woman's body, according to a news release. On May 15, "after only 45 minutes of search operations," the nonprofit's unit discovered remains in a submerged vehicle in the Cooper River. The body was found roughly 1 mile from Gunner's last known location.
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Gunner's daughter reacted to the news on social media.
On May 18, Gunner's daughter, Julia Young, took to Facebook to react to the news that her mother's body was likely found.
"Thanks to Doug( United Search Corps) we have closure our family can now give my mom a proper burial. Thank you EVERYONE for the continuous prayers and support greatly appreciate it. ," Young wrote.
"As you already know Camden County Police didn’t do a great job with my mothers case it took for a one band man to come here and dive into that water and discover my mom . We can’t thank him enough for what he has done. Almost 14 years with no answers and now we have them."
Authorities have not yet confirmed the body is Gunner's.
After three vehicles were recently pulled from the river, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and Pennsauken Police Department started an investigation, the New York Post reported. The remains will undergo DNA testing in the hopes of confirming Gunner's identity.
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However, the search and rescue team is 'confident' it's her.
“We’re confident that it’s her. Definitely,” Doug Bishop, from the search group, told NJ Advance Media.
In addition to the 2006 Hyundai Elantra's registration matching Gunner's, some of Gunner's belongings were also found inside the vehicle.
“They were humble and grateful, real salt-of-the-earth people,” Bishop added of Gunner's family. “You could see in their eyes that what they had been carrying for 14 years they were no longer carrying.”
