A Fort Pierce man has been missing for more than eight months, and St. Lucie County investigators are once again asking the public to help find him. Robert La Polla, 47, was last seen on January 8, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, and detectives say his cell phone went dark just six days later on January 14.
The case, formally logged under agency case number 26-02396, is being handled by Detective Corporal Shireman, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office. As WPEC reports, the sheriff's office is seeking the public's help locating La Polla, describing him as a 47-year-old man who was last seen on January 8.
Investigators are relying heavily on La Polla's distinctive tattoos and scars to help identify him if he's spotted. According to WPEC, he has scars on both wrists, devil and skull tattoos on his right arm, and a rosary with a cross and initials inked on his left arm. He also has a New York Giants logo on one calf and a cluster of female, angel, and devil tattoos across his chest, per the same report.
Physical Description and Last Known Details
Official descriptions list La Polla as a white male standing 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing between 170 and 190 pounds, with brown or partially gray hair and brown eyes, according to the sheriff's office's Facebook post. Those details, combined with his tattoos, remain the primary identifiers investigators are circulating to the public months into the search.
What led to La Polla's initial disappearance in Fort Pierce, and whether investigators suspect foul play or consider him an endangered missing person, has not been addressed in public reporting. It's also unclear whether any digital or physical leads have emerged since his phone stopped transmitting in mid-January, per the Disappeared Blog.
How Florida Law Shapes Missing Person Cases
Florida law does not allow agencies to sit on a missing person report. Florida Statute Section 937.021 requires local law enforcement to accept such reports without any waiting period and enter credible missing adult cases into the Florida Crime Information Center database within two hours, according to Online Sunshine's text of the statute.
Separately, Florida Statute Section 937.0201 allows a missing adult aged 26 or older to be classified as a “missing endangered person” when law enforcement suspects the individual is in danger or the victim of criminal activity, the statute states. Unresolved cases must also be submitted to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System within 90 days under Section 937.021, according to Uncovered.
The volume of cases like La Polla's is part of a larger pattern across the state. Florida ranks third among U.S. states for active unresolved missing persons cases, with more than 2,400 such cases tracked in national databases, according to World Population Review.
Search Resources and How to Help
The sheriff's office has access to specialized search tools through Project L.O.S.T. (Locating Our Survivors Timely), which deploys tracking technology and K-9 resources to locate missing residents, according to the agency. At the state level, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement runs the Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse, which offers analytical support and alert coordination for cases like this one.
Anyone with information on La Polla's whereabouts can contact Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-273-8477 or by emailing [email protected]. The case adds to a string of missing person searches Hoodline has tracked in Fort Pierce this year, underscoring the steady demand these investigations place on St. Lucie County's sheriff's office.
