Search team using sonar technology discovers the remains of a woman from Brevard County who went missing a decade ago

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Yekaterina Belaya went to a store on Sept. 28, 2014, and never returned to her Melbourne home.

Ten years later, investigators say her body was found at the bottom of a retention pond not far from her home.

The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday confirmed to News 6 that remains found last month in a pond off Viera Boulevard have been identified as Belaya. They were found inside a 2003 Honda Odyssey minivan, submerged 24 feet deep.

Sunshine State Sonar, a search and recovery group specializing in underwater searches, says it searched 32 bodies of water beginning in December.

Belaya’s minivan was found in a pond less than 2 miles from her home. It’s not clear how the vehicle ended up in the pond.

Belaya’s family says Eastern Florida State College science professor and mother of three said she was going to a store and would return in 30 minutes.

Investigators say she never made it to the store.

The sheriff’s office says the investigation into Belaya’s disappearance and discovery is ongoing.