Woman seen headed to hurricane shelter found dead in submerged car, Florida cops say

An 80-year-old woman who vanished while headed to a Florida hurricane shelter has been located dead in her submerged Toyota Corolla, according to searchers.

The car was found Sunday, Oct. 13, in an unidentified “body of water” in Pasco County, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office reported in a news release. Inside the car was the body of Moira Bossard.

“Bossard was last seen on (Oct. 8) walking into a hurricane shelter, located at Challenger K-8 school on Elgin Boulevard in Spring Hill,” officials said. “Shelter staff have no record of her checking in.”

Spring Hill is about a 110-mile drive north of where the storm made landfall Wednesday, Oct. 9, bringing dangerous winds and heavy rain.

Bossard was reported missing Oct. 11, officials says.

Neighbors reported Bossard appeared “confused” as the storm neared the state’s Gulf Coast.

“She left once (for the shelter) and returned home because she was lost,” the sheriff’s office said. “She also talked about ‘driving to Tennessee to be with her family’.”

Pasco County is south of Hernando County, which is going in the opposite direction to reach Tennessee.

This story was originally published October 14, 2024 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Woman seen headed to hurricane shelter found dead in submerged car, Florida cops say."