Police: New evidence could hold answers in disappearance of Cape Coral mother

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK) — Nearly six years after a young mother vanished from Cape Coral, police say they are still actively working the case and are now releasing new evidence to the public for the first time.

Lauren Dumolo was 29 years old when she was last seen in June 2020.

Her family says she often found peace at Four Freedoms Park near downtown Cape Coral, and it is also where some of the biggest clues in the case have been found.

Cape Coral Police Det. Mike LaSalandra showed WINK Investigates an image of a piece of clothing discovered near Dumolo's purse along the beach at the park.

"This garment was located on the beach that day," LaSalandra said.

Shortly after her disappearance, divers searched the water but found nothing.

"Statistically, anyone that goes missing in open water, there's normally about a 15 to 20% occasion that they're not located," LaSalandra said. "So, that was searched pretty well. There was no evidence that was located, other than some personal effects located on the beach. In my opinion she would have been located.”

One of the biggest challenges in the case is that it remains unclear whether a crime was even committed.

Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore says investigators have never stopped searching.

"This is a missing person's case where there are enough layers and enough nuance to it, where it would be foolish to rule out foul play," Sizemore said.

Dumolo's family says she struggled with substance abuse and mental health issues. But LaSalandra says her actions in the days before she disappeared suggest she was trying to get her life back on track.

"She had just, the day before, applied for work, trying to advance her situation, and then the next day she disappears," LaSalandra said.

On June 18, Dumolo applied for a job at a nearby gas station. The purse she was seen holding in surveillance images was later found at Four Freedoms Park.

Police are now releasing another piece of evidence: a piece of art that hung on the walls of the apartment she shared with her boyfriend.

"If anyone would recognize that or know where it came from, we would like to know," LaSalandra said.

LaSalandra told WINK Investigates he is planning interviews with witnesses, both in Florida and out of state. He also said there is DNA testing to be done.

When asked whether the testing was tied to new evidence, LaSalandra said, "I really can't divulge that information. There's existing evidence as well as some potential newer evidence that's scheduled to be examined."

Chief Sizemore says the goal is to bring some sense of relief to Dumolo's family.

"Closure is not a word I like to use, but peace," Sizemore said. "Or the opportunity for a family to begin to have peace."

Anyone with information about Dumolo's disappearance can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-8477.