Tina Marie Melvin, 54, is in custody in Okeechobee, but the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office has not specified what charges she faces or released bond information, CBS12 reported. The outlet said the agency opened its investigation Monday after Melvin reported her daughter missing.
The daughter, who is on the autism spectrum, was enrolled in the sheriff’s office Project Lifesaver program, according to CBS12. The program is intended to help locate people at risk of wandering; participants may wear a transmitter as a bracelet or anklet, or have it attached to an item, Lake Okeechobee News explains. Deputies can use radio waves to track the device, and enrollment is free, according to Lake Okeechobee News.
CBS12 reported that deputies searched for the teenager after Melvin told them her daughter had removed the bracelet and run away. During the investigation, authorities obtained a neighbor’s surveillance video showing a vehicle at Melvin’s home near the time of the reported disappearance, and found information that conflicted with her account, the station said.
According to CBS12’s account of the allegations, Melvin had arranged for a family friend to take her daughter to another residence before the girl’s father returned home. Deputies allege the friend was not told the circumstances, and that Melvin later removed the tracking bracelet and reported her daughter missing. Florida Statute 837.05 addresses false reports to law enforcement authorities; the article cited the statute but did not establish that it applies to this case or identify any charge. The statute is available at the Florida Senate.
