MIAMI – A South Florida Lyft driver who went missing greater than every week in the past has died, his daughter confirmed Tuesday.
Lindsay DiBetta posted on Facebook that the household can be asserting information on providers for her father, Gary Levin, within the subsequent few days.
“My dad was truly a one of kind person, if you knew him or even met him once you know exactly what I mean when I say that,” DiBetta wrote. “The stories I have received about him from friends, family and complete strangers over the last week have lifted me up more than you can ever realize.”
Levin, 74, went missing Jan. 30 after dropping off a buyer in Okeechobee, a small metropolis north of Florida’s Lake Okeechobee. His household reported him missing when he did not return dwelling and his cellphone had been turned off.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office beforehand introduced the invention of human stays close to Levin’s final identified location earlier than he vanished. FDLE reported Tuesday that it had confirmed the id of the individual present in Okeechobee and notified the individual’s household however declined to establish the sufferer publicly, citing a Florida state constitutional modification that permits crime victims or their family members to withhold their names from public experiences.
Levin’s purple 2022 Kia Stinger was noticed in Miami, Okeechobee and Gainesville in north Florida final week. It was stopped Thursday night in North Carolina, the place a U.S. Marshals regional process drive requested authorities to be looking out.
The driver, Matthew Flores, was arrested following a police chase by means of three counties, Rutherford County, North Carolina Sheriff Aaron Ellenburg stated. Flores, 35, fled however was captured a short while later in Ellenboro, North Carolina.
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He’s being held on a $2 million bond and scheduled for a Feb. 22 listening to.
He will ultimately be returned to Florida to face second-degree homicide prices within the loss of life of Jose Carlos Martinez in Wauchula on Jan. 24, and for the loss of life of Levin.
It was not identified whether or not Flores has a lawyer who can converse on his behalf.
Authorities are investigating how Flores obtained the missing Lyft driver’s automobile. Levin’s household stated they have no idea whether or not Flores was the passenger Levin picked up in Delray Beach on Monday.
In an emailed assertion Friday, Lyft stated “our thoughts are with Mr. Levin’s family and loved ones during this deeply concerning time. We’ve been in touch with his family to offer our support, as well as with law enforcement to assist with their investigation.”
DiBetta beforehand stated the Lyft gig was nice for Levin, who cherished telling dad jokes and infrequently instructed them again and again.
“It was the perfect set up for him,” she said. “He would get a new audience every ride.”
Levin lived within the Philadelphia space and was an enormous Eagles fan. He labored in auto physique gross sales till retiring to Florida about two years in the past. He cherished driving for Lyft, the place he typically instructed jokes to his clients, his daughter stated.
He had a son and a daughter and 4 grandchildren.
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