DELTONA, Fla. – After she first went missing years ago, the search for Nicole Baldwin continued on Tuesday as investigators drained a local retention pond, according to the Mount Dora Police Department.
In a release, police said that Baldwin has been missing since November 2023, but in the years since, she still hasn’t been located.
“Based on the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, the case is being investigated as a homicide,” the release reads.
But recently, detectives said they developed some new leads thanks to the help of other law enforcement agencies.
So far, investigators have searched several “areas of interest” where potential evidence may have been, but those searches didn’t yield an results, the release shows.
On Tuesday, though, Mount Dora police announced that they are currently draining and sifting a four-acre retention pond in Deltona, located on DeBary Avenue between Enterprise Road and North Road.
“Should evidence be recovered during the search, the Mount Dora Police Department will provide additional information and announce a press conference as appropriate,” the release continues.
The police department said detectives are expected to remain on site through Thursday, June 18.
“The ultimate goal is the resolution of her location and her whereabouts,” Deputy Police Chief Jim Deleu of the Mount Dora Police Department told News 6 Wednesday.
New leads pointing to the retention pond first emerged in 2025, Deleu said, but high-water levels prevented investigators from accessing the bottom of the pond. Florida’s rainy season kept water levels too elevated to search — until now.
“We had indications through cadaver dogs hitting on the water for some sort of evidence,” Deleu said. “At that point, the water was too high, so we had to wait.”
A recent drought in Central Florida provided the opening investigators needed. With assistance from the Florida Department of Transportation, the pond was drained — exposing its floor for the first time in this investigation.
[RELATED: Police drain pond in search for missing Mt. Dora mom Nicole Baldwin]
Once the pond was drained, investigators deployed cadaver dogs again. The dogs alerted to two specific areas on the pond’s floor.
“We put plywood planks — pieces of plywood — across the entire surface and had the dogs walk,” Deleu said. “The dogs alerted in two areas, and you’ll see the little square areas dug out.”
Following those alerts, the Florida Department of Transportation excavated the substrate from those spots. That material was then moved to a sifting area where officers are combing through it using both hand tools and metal detectors. As of Wednesday, no evidence had been recovered.
Deleu emphasized that a cadaver dog alert alone is not a definitive finding.
“A cadaver dog does not indicate with definitive — a definitive outcome — that there is something there,” he said. “It’s just an investigative tool that leads us in furtherance of an investigation.”
Deleu said the department has remained in contact with the family throughout the investigation. When asked whether he believes Baldwin is no longer alive, he declined to draw any conclusions.
“We haven’t definitively came to that conclusion, and it’s an ongoing investigation, and I’m not going to make any preconceived conclusions in that regard,” he said.
Investigators expect to wrap up their search at the pond within the next day or two. If nothing is found, the property — a county-owned stormwater retention pond — will be returned to county control.
Mount Dora police say they will not stop searching.
“We’re not going to stop, and we’re going to come to a definitive conclusion one way or another,” Deleu said.
Meanwhile, anyone with more information related to the case is urged to contact police at (352) 735-7130. Anonymous tips can also be made via Crimeline at (800) 423-8477.