Mystery of mother, 52, who disappeared in New Jersey 14 years ago is finally solved after human remains are found in a car submerged in a river and identified

A grieving family can finally hold a proper burial after the remains of a woman he disappeared nearly 14 years ago were found in the a car was submerged in a river.

Bernadine Waters Gunner disappeared in July 2010, aged 52, after last being seen in Camden, New Jersey. 

A dive team found her remains last Thursday in a Hyundai Elantra that had submerged in the Cooper River, which runs through Camden.

Despite there having been little movement in her case over the last decade, the discovery was made after only 45 minutes of search operations.

Gunner's daughter, who took to Facebook to express her gratitude for the United Search Corps that carried out the search mission, says that now 'we have closure'.

United Search Corps, a private nonprofit search group, began searching for Gunner on May 15 after founder Doug Bishop learned about her disappearance while working another cold case.

The group used sonar technology to scan a bend in the river in Pennsauken in search of her car, Bishop said in a press release. He then drove to the area to confirm the findings.

Authorities pulled three vehicles out of the river, including a blue 2006 Hyundai Elantra registered to Gunner.

Skeletal remains, which Bishop told NewJersey.com matched Gunner's description, were recovered from the driver's side of the car. Clothing and a dozen personal items belonging to Gunner were also found in the vehicle. 

Police have not yet confirmed Gunner's identity, but Bishop said 'we're confident that it's her'. A DNA test will be carried out to verify her identity.

Meanwhile, Gunner's family says they are so thankful to finally have some answers.

'Thanks to Doug we have closure our family can now give my mom a proper burial,' Gunner's daughter Julia Young wrote on Facebook. 'Thank you EVERYONE for the continuous prayers and support greatly appreciate it.'

Young, critical of the police's handling of her mother's case added: '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.'

Gunner lived about a mile from the area where her car went off the road and into the river. 

She was last seen alive on July 11, 2010 and had been suffering from depression at the time of her disappearance, according to an archived Camden County Sheriff's Office missing person alert.

Bishop said Gunner's family showed both 'grief and relief' when he met them after the search operation.

'They were humble and grateful, real salt of the earth people,' he told the news outlet. 'You could see in their eyes that what they had been carrying for 14 years they were no longer carrying.' 

Bishop, who worked for a towing company that specialized in underwater salvage, started United Search Corps about 17 months ago. The group operates under the theory that many missing peoples are actually victims of car wrecks that ended up underwater.

The two other vehicles recovered during Thursday's mission were largely empty.