Family of Rose Gayhart, missing since 1985, demands justice in Cape Coral

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK) — A New York family has been waiting 41 years to find out what happened to Rose Gayhart.

In May, they finally learned her remains were found in 2024 by a kayaker and identified last month. WINK News reporter Brinkley Hill spoke to Gayhart's sister about how the family is coping.

The family has been fighting for 41 years to find their daughter, sister and mother. Laurie Travis, Gayhart's younger sister, said they are still in shock and are now working to find justice.

READ MORE: 40 years later, Cape Coral police identify woman whose remains were found in canal

"When she came up missing, that was horrifying. And our family went through a lot of pain for 41 years, and without question, it was hard. But now we're way closer. Now we just need justice," Travis said.

In May, Livingston and Lee County sheriffs went to Travis's house to tell her they had found her sister. Travis said she couldn't even talk.

"I was hoping for it a lot sooner, but it really shocked me. It really did. 41 years. It's a long time," she said. "We're, we're very happy that they found them."

Gayhart vanished in 1985, last seen at a restaurant where she worked. She had moved from New York to North Fort Myers with her boyfriend and his mother.

"She was like my best friend," Travis said.

It wasn't until 2024 that kayakers discovered Gayhart's remains in a canal in northeast Cape Coral. Travis said she fought every day for 41 years.

Investigators were able to identify Gayhart using DNA from a cheek swab they did in 2007. "My sister Rose has finally been found, and I'm grateful we can bring her home and lay her to rest with dignity," Travis said.

Travis will be laying two sisters to rest. Travis lost her other sister Saturday, but said she died knowing Gayhart had been found.

"She was smiling about it," Travis said.

Travis said she has a meeting with investigators on Thursday as the Cape Coral Police Department continues to investigate Gayhart's death.

"Someone took her life. Someone left her out there. For decades, my family has lived with pain, questions, and heartbreak for 41 years. I want accountability. I want the person responsible to face consequences under the law. Rose mattered. She was loved, and I will keep fighting for her until justice is done," she said.

Meanwhile, the family is working to get Gayhart sent to a funeral home in New York so she can be laid to rest next to her son.