Body of missing mom-of-four, 44, is found inside her car in a pond near her Florida home after she vanished in the middle of the night - as cops open homicide investigation

The body of a missing mom-of-four is thought to have been found inside her car in a pond near her Florida home after she vanished in the middle of the night. 

Tracey Lynn Rieker, 44, went missing in the early hours of September 30 in Venice. She had left behind her wallet and phone. 

Police said Saturday her Nissan Xterra was found that morning in a pond nearby Knight’s Trail with a body inside. They are said to be treating the death as a traffic homicide and investigating the cause of death. 

Rieker's husband Christian had said his wife was 'having trouble sleeping and wasn’t eating a whole lot' before her disappearance. 

Tracey Lynn Rieker, pictured with her husband Christian, went missing in the early hours of September 30 from her home in Venice

The body of the missing mom-of-four is thought to have been found inside her car in a pond near her Florida home on Saturday morning 

In an interview on October 6 told Fox 13: 'She really focused on her religious outreach, and so when we woke up the car was gone and she was gone… we just called the authorities.' 

Christian added: 'This is completely opposite of who Tracey is. It’s alarming. We are concerned about what mindset she’s in.

'I actually called her phone thinking that she'd have it and then noticed it was ringing in the house.' 

In a statement police said: 'At approximately 11:45 a.m. today, Saturday, Oct. 10, divers with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and North Port PD, assisted by the FWC, Venice PD and Sarasota K9 Search and Rescue, located a green Nissan Xterra in a large pond in the Toscana Isles subdivision in Venice, close to Knights Trail'

Police released several images of their search Saturday morning

Tracey is also said to have been 'fasting for religious purposes...and may be disheveled or delirious'. 

Following the discovery of a body Tracey's family said in a statement: 'Our family is grateful for the outpouring of support and donations of both time and resources in the search for Tracey. 

'The outcome of the investigation is shocking and devastating, and we wish this could have been investigated sooner to bring needed closure for the family. At this time, we are grieving as an extended and cohesive family unit, and request privacy while we work through this.' 

Rieker's husband Christian had said his wife was 'having trouble sleeping and wasn’t eating a whole lot' before her disappearance

Tracey is also said to have been 'fasting for religious purposes...and may be disheveled or delirious'. She is pictured with her husband 

In a statement police said: 'At approximately 11:45 a.m. today, Saturday, Oct. 10, divers with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and North Port PD, assisted by the FWC, Venice PD and Sarasota K9 Search and Rescue, located a green Nissan Xterra in a large pond in the Toscana Isles subdivision in Venice, close to Knights Trail. 

'Inside the vehicle was a deceased female, believed to be that of Tracey Lynn Rieker, 44, missing from her Venice home since Sept. 30. 

'Authorities are in the process of recovering the vehicle at this time. The case is being investigated as a traffic crash that involved death of an involved party. An investigation continues to determine Rieker’s cause of death.'