LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Dive teams on Friday searched lakes and ponds in a subdivision as efforts continue in locating a missing Mount Dora mother, who was last seen in November, according to sheriff’s officials.
During a news conference on Friday afternoon, Detective Gary Hutcheson said that the search for Nicole Baldwin, 41, did not yield any results. He also announced that the case is being treated as a homicide investigation.
This marks the first time investigators called the case a homicide publically; however, Hutcheson said the family has been aware of this since late November.
“We never close a homicide case until we make an arrest. We never stopped working on the case,” Hutcheson said. “It’s extremely hard to solve a homicide without any remains. So we’re going to continue to look. That’s been going on continuously since November. I can tell you that we’ve wrote in the neighborhood of 200 search warrants and subpoenas on this case so we’re doing everything we can.”
A $5,000 reward is being offered by Crimeline for information in this case. People can call Crimeline anonymously at 1-800-423-8477 or contact Mount Dora police directly at 352-735-7130.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that teams from various agencies searched the Loch Leven subdivision in Mount Dora.
The Mount Dora Police Department said there were no developments leading to Friday’s search for Nicole Baldwin, who was last seen Nov. 2 at her home on Strathmore Circle off County Road 44. She was last seen by her 20-year-old daughter, Alisha Baldwin, who celebrated her birthday the day prior.
The department said in part:
Today, the Mount Dora Police Department, in collaboration with partner agencies including Dive teams from Lake, Sumter, Marion, Seminole, and Volusia County Sheriff’s Offices, Groveland Fire Department, and Search and Rescue of Central Florida, conducted searches near Lancaster at Loch Leven. While there were no specific tips that led them to these search locations, it’s part of our comprehensive effort to explore all avenues in the search for Nicole Baldwin.
At this time, no developments have been reported, but we stay commitment to finding Nicole.
Mount Dora police said Nicole Baldwin left behind her personal belongings, including her phone.
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In January, News 6 spoke with Alisha Baldwin, who said she still remembered the last conversation she had with her mother on her 20th birthday.
“Her just telling me she’s proud of me and happy that she raised me to be 20 years old,” she said.
Just over a month after she was reported missing, Nicole Baldwin’s husband, Brett Baldwin, was taken into custody by federal officials in Marion County on child pornography possession charges.
The sheriff’s office said its dive team assisted in the search Friday, along with teams from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the Groveland Fire Department and Search and Rescue of Central Florida.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more information as we receive it.
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