DELTONA, Fla. – Mount Dora police have wrapped up a three-day search of a drained Deltona retention pond in the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Nicole Baldwin — and while no evidence was found, investigators say the case is actively moving forward.
The Mount Dora Police Department, working alongside the Florida Department of Transportation’s District 5, drained and sifted a four-acre retention pond on DeBary Avenue between Enterprise Road and North Road in Deltona. Authorities tell News 6 they are now certain no evidence related to the case exists at that location.
Mount Dora Deputy Police Chief Jim Deleu said the search, though fruitless, represents a meaningful step in the investigation.
“I think we’re very satisfied with the outcome here in regard to our efforts and being very confident that there’s nothing here,” Deleu said.
[WATCH: Recent drought aided police in searching retention pond for missing Florida woman]
New leads developed with assistance from several law enforcement partners brought investigators to the Deltona site. Those partners include the FBI, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the State Attorney’s Office, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Transportation District 5.
After draining the pond, Deleu said a cadaver dog alerted them to two specific areas, which they extensively searched. Deleu explained that a cadaver dog alert, while a helpful investigative tool, is not conclusive on its own.
“It’s kind of like probable cause. It’s kind of like, likely something occurred, but it’s not definitive until you actually go out and get hands or eyes on that particular area. And that’s why we had to go out and dredge and sift and push dirt around,” he said.
Deleu made clear that crossing a location off the list is itself progress.
“But what a search like this does is it provides the investigation to be pushed forward in regard to us being able to eliminate this area as something that we need to concern ourselves with. So, we’re going to go to the next step. We’re going to the next lead,” Deleu said.
This marks the second time investigators have visited the Deltona pond since Baldwin disappeared. Officers first responded to a missing persons report in November 2023 after Baldwin disappeared from her home in the Lancaster subdivision off County Road 44 in Mount Dora. Investigators do not believe she left voluntarily and suspect foul play. The case has since been elevated to a homicide investigation.
Baldwin is described as 5 feet, 5 inches tall and approximately 135 pounds, with brown or blonde hair and hazel eyes. She has several distinctive tattoos that may aid in her identification. Her family and loved ones have spent more than two years searching for answers.
Deleu is urging anyone with even the smallest piece of information to step forward.
“If somebody has some smidgen of information that they may have, in regard to the missing person of Nicole Baldwin, then call the Mt. Dora police department,” he said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Mount Dora Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at (352) 735-7130, or submit an anonymous tip through Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477).