The body of a 21-year-old woman was recovered from the Tomoka River in Ormond Beach on Wednesday afternoon, about 24 hours after a woman's car was recovered from the water.

  • Body found in Tomoka River, police say
  • 12 hours earlier, Carly Bowie, 21, left party, called parents
  • Bowie's car crashed, was found in river

Ormond Beach Police said the body was recovered just after 3 p.m. The body has been identified as that of 21-year-old Carly Bowie, police said. She celebrated her birthday Tuesday.

According to investigators, Bowie called her parents before leaving a party early Tuesday morning but never made it home.

"Around 5:20 in the morning, dispatch received a call about a possible crash. The person who called it in heard a sound, and it was up by a guard rail by Tomoka State Park," said Keith Walker, public information officer for the Ormond Beach Police Department.

First responders found a badly damaged bridge and Bowie's car submerged in 10 feet of water.

But no one was inside, and officials did not recover a cellphone.

Teams from the U.S. Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and other agencies helped search for Bowie.

Investigators think poor driving conditions, fog and darkness might have led Bowie to crash into the bridge on North Beach Street and plunge into the Tomoka River.

The crash remains is under investigation.


Carly Bowie's vehicle crashed along this bridge and then plunged into the Tomoka River. (Arnie Girard, staff)