Police searching for missing youth basketball coach in Florida
Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on May 24, 2023
(FLORIDA) — Police in Florida are looking for a missing man who friends say was last seen likely going out for a run three days ago.
Makuach Yak, 31, a youth basketball coach from Delray Beach, was supposed to coach on Saturday but was nowhere to be found, his friend and business partner told ABC West Palm Beach affiliate WPBF.
“He’s very responsible,” his friend, Tate VanRoekel, told the station. “If he says he’s gonna do something, he’s gonna do it.”
Home security footage shared with WPBF recorded Yak in his front yard around 6:30 a.m. Saturday in a purple shirt and black shorts, the station reported.
VanRoekel told WPBF that Yak’s wallet, keys, cellphone and Apple Watch were “all on the counter, just sitting there.”
The Delray Beach Police Department said in a missing person post on social media that Yak had walked away from his home in Delray Beach on Saturday and “most likely was wearing workout clothes.”
In the days since he was reported missing, friends have been knocking on doors and organizing searches for Yak throughout Delray Beach, a city on Florida’s east coast located between West Palm Beach and Boca Raton.
“I’ve been looking through alleyways,” VanRoekel told WPBF. “I’ve been looking underneath bridges, in wooded areas, abandoned houses, anything, anywhere.”
Yak’s cousin, Diew Malou, has also been involved in the search efforts, WPBF reported.
“We’re just trying to make sure that he’s safe,” Malou told WPBF.
“We just miss him,” Malou added. “If we can find where he’s at, if anybody could help us, that would be great.”
A police spokesperson told ABC News Tuesday evening there were no updates in the case and that Yak, a native of South Sudan, remains missing.
“We are urging the public to call us if they see someone matching his description,” Delray Beach Police spokesperson Ted White said.
Police said Yak is around 6 foot 4 and weighs 165 pounds. Anyone with information is asked to call the Delray Beach Police Department at 561-243-7800.
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