By: Richard L. Smith
Authorities have confirmed the identity of a woman whose remains were recovered from a submerged vehicle in the Cooper River last spring. 
According to a statement from Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay, Pennsauken Police Chief Phil Olivo, and Camden County Police Chief Gabriel Rodriguez, forensic testing has identified the remains as those of Bernadine Gunner, a Camden resident who went missing nearly 15 years ago.
Gunner, who was 52 years old at the time of her disappearance, was reported missing by family members on July 11, 2010. 
She was last seen driving her 2006 blue Hyundai Elantra after reportedly expressing suicidal thoughts.
On May 16, 2024, human remains were discovered inside a submerged vehicle in the Cooper River in Pennsauken.
The vehicle was located by the United Search Corps, a nonprofit organization that assists law enforcement with missing persons cases involving bodies of water.
Multiple agencies contributed to the recovery effort, including the Pennsauken Police Department, FBI, New Jersey State Police, Camden County Police, Bellmawr Dive Team, Camden County Office of Emergency Management, Pennsauken Fire Department, and the United Search Corps Missing Persons Unit.
Once the car was towed from the river, investigators from the New Jersey State Police Anthropology Unit retrieved the remains. DNA was extracted with the help of Bode
Technology, a private forensic lab in Virginia. The extracted material was then submitted to the University of North Texas (UNT) Center for Human Identification, which confirmed the identity on April 16, 2025.
“We are grateful to all those who assisted with returning Bernadine to her family,” said Prosecutor MacAulay.
“Missing person cases are heartbreaking because family members are left wondering what happened to their loved one.
While we strongly believed the remains recovered from the Cooper River belonged to Bernadine, the confirmation through forensic DNA testing finally provides her family with a definitive answer.”
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding Gunner’s disappearance and death remains closed.