OKEECHOBEE — On the morning of Oct. 26, 2026, Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office Road Patrol deputies responded to a residence in the 2000 block of Center Street in Okeechobee County regarding a reported missing endangered adult.

Upon arrival, deputies spoke with Tina Marie Melvin, 54, who reported that her 18-year-old daughter, who is on the autism spectrum, had removed her tracking bracelet and ran away from home.

The young woman is enrolled in the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office Project Lifesaver program, a specialized tracking program designed to assist law enforcement in locating individuals who may wander due to cognitive conditions or developmental disabilities.

Given the circumstances surrounding the report, deputies immediately initiated an extensive search out of concern for the young woman’s safety.

Numerous law enforcement resources were deployed, including Road Patrol deputies, K-9 personnel, drone operations, door-to-door interviews, and neighborhood and business canvasses. Deputies also worked to identify witnesses, review surveillance footage, and develop leads concerning the young woman’s whereabouts.

During the investigation, deputies located a neighbor who possessed surveillance video showing a vehicle at the residence around the time of the reported disappearance.

As investigators continued following leads, information began to emerge that contradicted Melvin’s original account.

Further investigation revealed that Melvin had contacted a family friend and arranged for that individual to pick up her daughter and allow her to stay at another residence. Investigators determined that Melvin had arranged for her daughter to leave the home before the father returned, without informing the family friend of the circumstances surrounding the arrangement.

Rather than disclose these circumstances, Melvin allegedly cut the tracking bracelet off, reported her daughter as missing and claimed she had ran away, despite having personally arranged for her departure.

After nearly two hours of searching and investigating the reported disappearance, deputies confronted Melvin with the information they had uncovered.

As a result of the investigation, Tina Marie Melvin was arrested and charged with providing false information to law enforcement during a missing person investigation, a first-degree misdemeanor under Florida Statute 837.055(1).

What began as an urgent search for a potentially endangered young woman ultimately resulted in the discovery that the circumstances reported to law enforcement were intentionally misleading.

The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office takes every missing person report seriously, particularly when the individual may have a disability or other circumstances that place them at increased risk.

In this case, significant law enforcement resources were committed to locating someone believed to be in danger.

Those resources included personnel and specialized equipment that could otherwise have been available to respond to other emergencies throughout Okeechobee County.

Knowingly providing false information during a missing person’s investigation is a serious matter. It diverts critical resources, places unnecessary demands on emergency personnel, and can affect our ability to respond to individuals who genuinely need immediate assistance.

The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office will continue to respond diligently to reports of missing and endangered individuals.

We also expect those requesting emergency assistance to provide truthful and accurate information so our deputies can make informed decisions and direct resources where they are needed most.

Melvins bond has not been set.