Teen missing from Coral Springs over a week after Snapchat meet-up, family says
UPDATE: Coral Springs Police said May 6 that they have successfully recovered Skylee Merino near Atlanta, Georgia. Read the full story here.
Skylee Merino, 15, has been missing from Coral Springs for over a week after family says she met up with an individual from Snapchat in a Tamarac parking lot on April 21.
The Coral Springs Police Department classified her as a runaway but has assigned a detective to the case.
“We believe that it’s more than that,” Merino’s older sister, Shynelle “Shy” Mae Perry, said in a post Saturday.
In a phone call, CSPD Public Information Officer Sgt. James Kaban told the Coral Springs News April 29 that the detective assigned to Merino’s case has been working around the clock following leads in the case, and responded to social media backlash about Merino not being classified as missing and endangered.
“We are investigating this as if she was in danger,” Kaban said. “If in fact a crime is associated with her running away, it will be investigated to the fullest extent.”
Merino was picked up from her Coral Springs home around 3:23 a.m. on Tuesday, April 21, her sister said. She left her iPhone and Apple Watch there, but did have an old iPhone SE that family members did not know about, according to Perry, who is spearheading online efforts to bring Merino home.
Perry said that a friend driving a white Ford Raptor dropped Merino off at Tamarac’s Cypress Commons Plaza at around 8:30 a.m., where she was supposed to meet a teen or young man that she had been speaking with on Snapchat.
About an hour later, Perry said, Merino asked her friend to pick her up, but the friend was unable to do so because they were at school. Her sister said this is what makes her believe Merino may be in danger.
Merino hasn’t responded to messages since, her sister said. Her last known social media activity was at 4 p.m. April 21.
In the days following her disappearance, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and other organizations have shared her story in response to the family’s concerns. Merino’s story has since made national news, with support coming from as far as the U.K. and Colombia, Perry told the Coral Springs News.
Police said they currently do not have reason to believe the 15-year-old is at risk of harm.
Because the teenager left her home voluntarily, and police have not yet confirmed the identity or whereabouts of the individual her family says she was last seen with, her case does not fall under the statutory definition of an endangered person, Kaban said.
The best way to help the family, Perry told the Coral Springs News, is making sure as many people as possible are “able to recognize her, and not confront her, but be able to call the detective right away with as many details as possible.”
Skylee Merino is 5 feet 4 inches tall with dark hair and dark eyes, and weighs between 110 and 120 pounds, according to family and police. She has braces, and was last seen wearing a black tank top and leggings, a black shark backpack and Jordan 4 sneakers.
Investigators said they’re working to identify the individual from Snapchat and are asking anyone with information to call Detective Daniel Powers at 954-346-1223 or email dpowers@coralsprings.gov.
This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 12:36 PM.
