An allegedly fibbing Florida mom filed a phony missing persons report on Monday, claiming her autistic daughter had run away from home – despite arranging for her to stay with a family friend, cops said.
Tina Marie Melvin, 54, told the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office that her 18-year-old daughter removed her tracking bracelet and disappeared into the wind, CBS 12 reported.
The young woman is enrolled in the sheriff’s Livesaver program, deputies told the local TV station, which helps law enforcement track those with cognitive disabilities who may wander.
Authorities launched an extensive search after Melvin reported her daughter missing, but soon discovered the alleged deception, police said.
A neighbor’s surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed a car arriving at Melvin’s home just before the time her daughter was reported missing, cops said.
They then learned the mom asked a family friend, who was unaware of the missing persons plot, to pick up her daughter before her father came home, according to authorities.
Melvin had slipped off her daughter’s tracking bracelet, passed her off to the friend she was to stay with and reported her missing, police said.
Once investigators discovered her ruse, Melvin allegedly admitted she had lied about her daughter’s disappearance.
She was arrested and charged with providing false information to law enforcement during a missing person investigation, a first-degree misdemeanor.
Lawyer information for Melvin was not immediately available.
