Public’s Help Sought in Locating Caressa Lynnette Mercer, 25, Disabled Woman Missing Since Saturday Morning

9:15 p.m. Update: Caressa Lynnette Mercer was been located by authorities in St. John’s County, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said at 7:45 p.m. She has been taken to a
local hospital for medical evaluation.

Today’s earlier story:

Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies need the public’s help in locating a 25-year old disabled woman reported missing from her home by her mother shortly after 7:30 a.m. today.

Margaret Mercer reported to deputies that her daughter, Caressa Lynnette Mercer, left the home sometime after 3 a.m. Saturday morning. She told deputies that her daughter was upset because her father, an over-the-road trucker, left on January 6 and did not take their daughter with him.

According to the mother, Caressa has the mental capacity of a 5 or 6-year-old child and has run away several times in the past. She reportedly is obsessed with food and has been located in the past at restaurants and shelters. She is a very trusting and willing to accept rides from anyone.

Caressa is a white female approximately 5’5” tall, 120 lbs. and has short blonde hair. Store surveillance video obtained from the Kangaroo gas station located at the corner of Palm Coast Parkway N.E. and Belle Terre Parkway shows the woman inside the store at 6:10 a.m. At the time she was wearing dark blue sweatpants, a brown hooded jacket, white sneakers with blue trim and was carrying several Winn Dixie shopping bags. The woman no longer wears glasses as shown in her photo.

Deputies have been conducting an extensive ground and air search for Mercer since she was reported missing. Air support and a bloodhound from the St. John’s County Sheriff’s Offices are assisting in the search. She has been entered as missing and endangered in State and National missing person databases.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office at 386-313-4911 or Crime Stoppers at 888-277-8477. Calls made to Crime Stoppers remain anonymous and you may be eligible for cash rewards of up to $1,000 dollars.