Health care agency worker arrested after disabled man went missing in Longwood

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LONGWOOD, Fla. - News 6 is learning that Longwood Police have arrested a woman who was working at a health care agency after they say a disabled man went missing on her watch, and they believe she lied to them during their investigation about just how long he was gone.

Court records show Natasha Coleman is facing charges for neglect and giving false information to law enforcement after 32-year-old Rayvon Wallace went missing back in August.

According to an arrest affidavit for Coleman, she told officers she left Wallace on the basketball court and was gone for "approximately 5,6 minutes" while she used a nearby bathroom. When she returned, she told police that Wallace was gone, according to the affidavit.

The arrest affidavit for Coleman also states that she is employed by Special Angels Health Care agency, a company that is contracted by Wallace's court-appointed guardian. Coleman told officers she regularly takes Wallace to the park on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

[RELATED: What it takes to find a missing person (from 2023)]

Longwood Police requested additional resources, including a helicopter and drones, to find Wallace because of his status as a disabled missing adult with intellectual disabilities. Based on the information Coleman reportedly gave to officers, police say they focused on the immediate area where Wallace was last seen.

Coleman called 911 to report Wallace's disappearance around 3 p.m. on Aug. 26, according to the arrest affidavit.

However, once Longwood police notified the public to be on the lookout for the missing man, a homeowner contacted them and provided security camera video that shows Wallace just before 9:30 that morning, the affidavit states.

Longwood Police said in the affidavit they believe Coleman gave misleading information about when she last saw Wallace.

Our News 6 crew reached out to Wallace's family and Joanna Payette, a guardianship attorney who is representing Wallace's father, after we learned of Coleman's arrest this week. They said they had no idea about any of this until our reporter called on Thursday.

"Just heartbroken," Payette said about their reaction. "I've been working with this family for about a little less than a year, and to find out over a month later that your son went missing for an extended period of time and then was hospitalized? They were shocked."

Payette explained that Wallace is currently living at a group home, and she is working with his father to become his guardian.

"It's one of those situations where, you know, you've got an adult special needs person and you've got family that very much wants to be involved, very much wants to be in the position of the guardian," said Payette. "And it's been a long road for them. We are working towards that."

Coleman's arrest affidavit says that she also called the manager of the group home, who is also contracted by a court-appointed guardian, the day Wallace went missing.

He was found that day by "one of the group home associates" at the intersection of West State Road 434 and Rangeline Road, about two miles away from the park.

Wallace was "visibly exhausted," and first responders said he was dehydrated and had muscle cramping and scrapes on his legs when he was located, according to the affidavit. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he stayed for two days.

"You know, reading this report, there are some really wonderful folks in the community that provided footage to help locate this young man," said Payette. "That offered him water on a very hot August day, gave him directions."

When officers asked Wallace what happened, he reportedly told them he went to the basketball court and saw Coleman go to her car, and he decided to take a walk on the trail for an unknown reason, the affidavit states.

"According to the affidavit, he was used to walking down that trail, and it sounded like he wanted to go on an adventure and got lost," Payette said. "And there are a lot of concerns there of, where were the eyes?"

Our News 6 team called Coleman on Thursday. She answered the phone, but when she was asked about the allegations, she abruptly ended the conversation.

News 6 also researched Special Angels Health Care, which has positive reviews on the Florida developmental disabilities resources website. When our team called the agency to ask if they were aware of Coleman's arrest, if she still works there, and if she is currently caring for anyone else, they also hung up.

The arrest affidavit states the CEO and director provided their internal operating procedures and information to investigators, and told them Coleman was a contracted employee who is trained and certified. She also stated that Coleman told her that Wallace was only missing a short time, and they require incidents involving disabled clients to be reported within an hour, according to the affidavit.

Coleman was arrested Tuesday on a warrant for neglect of a disabled adult and giving false information to law enforcement during an investigation. Court records show she was released from jail on a $3,000 bond shortly after she was booked.

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