A 56-year-old woman reported missing from Vilano Beach was found safe Monday morning, St. Johns County deputies said, ending an overnight search that began after her belongings were discovered abandoned on the sand near a popular campground.
Melinda Hunziker was last seen Sunday in the area of Beaches Restaurant in Vilano, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. Deputies said her belongings were later located on the beach near North Beach Campground, prompting them to ask the public for help finding her and checking on her welfare. By 11 a.m. Monday, the sheriff's office issued an update confirming Hunziker had been located safe. Officials did not disclose the specific circumstances of how or where she was found.
A Narrow Strip of Sand Between Ocean and Waterway
The search unfolded in a stretch of coastline that presents its own challenges for searchers. Vilano Beach is a barrier island community in St. Johns County that runs along State Road A1A, with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Intracoastal Waterway on the other, according to Islands. North Beach Camp Resort, near where Hunziker's belongings turned up, sits on a narrow strip of land along Coastal Highway directly across from ocean beach access and next to the Intracoastal, per The Dyrt. That geography puts both open surf and tidal marsh within a short walk of one another, a detail that likely shaped how deputies approached the search.
Vilano Beach sits roughly 2.2 to 5 miles north of St. Augustine's historic downtown, connected to the mainland by the Francis and Mary Usina Bridge, according to Bayfront Marin House. The area sees heavy foot traffic from beachgoers and campers, which can complicate efforts to retrace a missing person's last known movements.
State Law Requires Swift Action on Missing Adult Reports
Florida law obligates law enforcement agencies to accept and investigate missing adult and child reports promptly, without delay, and to conduct monthly reviews of cases entered into state and national databases, under Florida Statute § 937.021, according to the Florida Senate. Separately, state law defines when a missing adult age 26 or older can be classified as a missing endangered person, opening the door to specialized alerts such as Silver or Purple Alerts, per Florida Statute § 937.0201.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement also runs the Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse, a statewide repository created by the legislature in 1996 that coordinates alert networks and supports local agencies like the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office with investigative research, according to FDLE. More than 3,200 people were listed as missing or endangered in the National Crime Information Center database statewide as of early 2025, per the Citrus County Sheriff's Office.
Agency Has Leaned on Public Alerts Before
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office has been led by Sheriff Rob Hardwick since 2021; he previously served as Chief of Police in neighboring St. Augustine Beach, according to First Coast News. The agency's main non-emergency line, 904-824-8304, also includes a text-to-administration option for residents who want to submit tips without placing a call, according to WOKV.
Hoodline has covered a missing St. Johns teen found safe in January, as well as similar cases involving missing brothers, Angel Cline and Anthony Kirk Byrd, all of which relied on public appeals coordinated by the sheriff's office. Monday's resolution follows that same pattern: a fast-moving alert, a call for community help, and a swift confirmation once Hunziker was located safe.
