Minivan shrouded in brush hid remains of couple missing for days, Florida cops say

A Florida couple reported missing Aug. 29 apparently died in a car crash that went undiscovered for nearly two days, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.

The bodies of Albert Allen, 76, and Cynthia Allen, 73, were found Thursday, Aug. 31, in a minivan along Powell Road near Brooksville, officials said in a news release. Brooksville is about 50 miles north of Tampa.

Photos show the heavily damaged van was found in a densely wooded area, and could not be easily seen from the road.

Albert Allen was driving east on Powell Road near Lacoste Street when he apparently lost control of the vehicle “for unknown reason,” the Florida Highway Patrol said in an accident report.

“The vehicle departed the roadway, entered the south shoulder and collided with a tree. Both occupants suffered fatal injuries at the scene of the crash,” the report states.

Investigators did not reveal how the vehicle was located, but it was reported on Aug. 30 that the couple’s cellphone “pinged within a 3-mile radius of Hernando Oaks, off U.S. 41 in Brooksville.”

Two-lane Powell Road is about 6 miles south of the couple’s home in Brooksville. It travels largely through farm fields and wooded areas, maps show.

A family member reported the couple and their Saturn Relay missing around 3:15 p.m. on Aug. 29, officials said.

Albert Allen was deaf and his wife was “partially paralyzed” after recently suffering a stroke, officials said.

This story was originally published August 31, 2023 at 1:24 PM with the headline "Minivan shrouded in brush hid remains of couple missing for days, Florida cops say."