Dakota Rubel, the 16-year-old reported missing from Wesley Chapel earlier this month, has been found and is safe, according to the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. The update, posted Wednesday, closes out nearly two weeks of uncertainty that began when the teen disappeared from the Dancing Bay Lane area on Oct. 2.
“Update: Rubel was found and is safe,” the agency said in a statement shared by Pasco Sheriff
on Wednesday. The brief announcement offered no further details about when, where, or how Rubel was located, but it put to rest the search that had been underway since the teen was reported missing.
How the Search Began
Rubel was last seen around 9 p.m. on Oct. 2 in the Dancing Bay Lane area of Wesley Chapel, according to the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. The agency’s original notice described Rubel as a missing or runaway 16-year-old, and listed identifying details to help the public spot the teen: 5 feet 6 inches tall, approximately 160 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. At the time Rubel disappeared, the teen was wearing a pink shirt and gray shorts, per the same notice.
Deputies had been actively searching for Rubel in the days following the disappearance. The Tampa Free Press reported that deputies with the sheriff’s office were searching for the 16-year-old after the missing-person report, noting that Rubel had been “reported as a missing or runaway youth.”
No Further Details Released
The sheriff’s office has not said when or where Rubel was found, nor has it provided any additional information about the teen’s condition beyond confirming that Rubel is safe. It also remains unclear whether the missing-person case is now formally closed or whether any further action by deputies is planned.
The Pasco Sheriff’s Office, based in west central Florida, reminds residents that its social media accounts are not monitored around the clock and should not be used to report emergencies. Anyone with an urgent matter is asked to call 911, while non-emergency concerns can be directed to the sheriff’s office at 727-847-8102, option 7. Tips can also be submitted through pascosheriff.com/tips.
