Every year, thousands of people from across the nation move to Florida to enjoy its warm weather and seemingly never-ending waterways.
These waterways offer world-class fishing and boating but also present significant dangers to those who do not prepare accordingly.
And this shocking discovery has Melbourne residents picking their jaws off the floor.
Melbourne residents were stunned after police officers made this grisly discovery
Few states contain as many waterways as Florida, with canals, lakes, rivers, and coastlines covering the entire state.
This has made Florida a paradise for boaters, anglers, and jet skiers, attracting millions of tourists and thousands of new residents every year.
Although these waterways have made Florida a paradise for many, they also contain significant danger.
These waterways have alligators and many vicious invasive species like massive pythons and toxic lionfish.
In addition to these dangerous invasive species, Florida’s numerous waterways also contain many of Florida’s unsolved murders.
Melbourne residents learned this the hard way after police officers uncovered a submerged minivan in a pond.
Upon further inspection, officers discovered the body of a 47-year-old mother of three, Katya Belaya, who went missing back in 2014.
Belaya went missing on September 28, 2014, after leaving her home to grab some milk at a local store.
Public safety officials gave up their search over a decade ago after failing to uncover any leads regarding this mother of three.
However, this is where the crime watchdog group Sunshine State Sonar stepped in. Sunshine State Sonar claimed to have searched 32 bodies of water all around the area with the hopes of finding Belaya.
The Sunshine State Sonar group found two other vehicles before discovering Belaya’s vehicle, submerged 24 feet deep, upside down, in a retention pond just 1.6 miles from Belaya’s home in Melbourne.
According to Belaya’s family, the woman suffered from routine blackout spells and confusion, which likely caused her to drive her minivan into the retention pond.
Belaya served as a local professor, and this discovery has brought closure to her family, who have not seen her in over a decade.
Groups such as the Sunshine State Sonar help authorities in Florida to solve cold cases such as this one, which often go unsolved due to the lack of resources in many police departments and search and rescue groups across Florida.
The discovery of Katya Belaya gives hope to hundreds of families across Florida
As it stands, there are many unsolved missing person cases across Florida.
Thankfully, several groups like The Sunshine State Sonar group have emerged, helping public safety officials to find lost people.
These efforts help to provide closure to grieving families that dearly miss their lost loved ones.
Although the discovery of Katya Belaya serves a good step in the right direction, there is still much work to be done to find all the missing people across Florida, and across the United States.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this story.
