The Eyrie

OKEECHOBEE, FL — An Okeechobee woman is facing accusations that she filed a false missing person report after telling deputies her daughter had run away, even though investigators say she had arranged for the girl to leave home.

The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office said the case began Monday when deputies responded to Tina Marie Melvin’s home after she reported that her daughter had removed a tracking bracelet and disappeared. Deputies said the teen is on the autism spectrum and is enrolled in Project Lifesaver, a program meant to help law enforcement locate people who may wander because of cognitive disabilities.

Because of those safety concerns, deputies launched a large search right away. But the investigation soon took a different direction.

Deputies say surveillance video contradicted the missing-person claim

As deputies worked the case, they obtained surveillance video from a neighbor showing a vehicle at Melvin’s home around the time the girl was reported missing. Investigators said that footage became an important piece of the inquiry as they tried to determine whether the disappearance had unfolded the way Melvin described.

According to the sheriff’s office, additional evidence pointed to a different explanation. Authorities said the information they gathered did not match the original report that the girl had simply fled on her own.

The sheriff’s office said the video and other findings helped show that the girl’s departure had been arranged rather than spontaneous. Deputies have not said exactly how long the search lasted before investigators understood what had happened.

Sheriff's office says Melvin arranged for a family friend to pick up her daughter

Investigators said Melvin, 54, had contacted a family friend and made plans for that person to pick up her daughter and let her stay at another residence. That arrangement, deputies said, happened before the girl’s father returned home.

Authorities said Melvin did not fully explain the circumstances of the plan to the family friend. Instead, the sheriff’s office said she allowed the child to leave and then reported her missing.

Deputies said the woman also removed her daughter’s tracking bracelet before making the missing-person claim. That bracelet was part of the Project Lifesaver system intended to help locate vulnerable people who may wander or become disoriented.

Project Lifesaver is meant to help locate vulnerable people quickly

Project Lifesaver is designed for individuals who may be at risk of wandering because of autism or other cognitive conditions. Participants wear a tracking bracelet that can help law enforcement narrow a search more quickly if someone goes missing.

In this case, the sheriff’s office said the program was activated because deputies believed the daughter may have been in danger. The report of a missing child with autism prompted an immediate response from investigators and search personnel.

The removal of the bracelet mattered because it would have made it harder for deputies to locate the girl if she truly had been lost or had left without warning. That detail became part of the investigation after authorities began comparing Melvin’s claim with what the evidence showed.

False report investigation ends with an arrest, but charges were not listed

Melvin was taken into custody after the sheriff’s office concluded that her account did not match the evidence gathered during the investigation. Deputies said she had claimed her daughter ran away despite having helped arrange for the girl to stay elsewhere.

The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office did not say what specific charges Melvin faces. It also did not provide any details about bond.

Officials have not said why Melvin allegedly chose to report her daughter missing instead of explaining the arrangement to deputies at the outset. The sheriff’s office said its investigation determined that the report itself was false.

Questions remain about the family's next steps after the search

The sheriff’s office has not released further information about the daughter’s current location beyond saying she had been arranged to stay at another residence. Authorities also have not said whether the girl had already been reunited with family or remained with the friend at the time of the arrest.

The case drew attention because it involved a child with autism, a tracking program built for vulnerable residents, and a search that was launched to protect the girl’s safety. It also underscores how quickly a missing-person call can pull in deputies and search resources when a potential wandering case is reported.

For now, the main facts come from investigators: Melvin reported her daughter missing, deputies searched, surveillance video and other evidence raised doubts, and the sheriff’s office concluded that the girl had been allowed to leave through a planned arrangement rather than a true disappearance.