Lead investigator into missing Cape Coral woman speaks about case for first time

The search for a Cape Coral mother who has been missing since June 19 hasn’t had any strong leads into her disappearance, and for him, it’s personal.

Det. Nick Jones isn’t ruling anything out in the case of Lauren Dumolo, but he remains optimistic even as the odds of finding her alive grow longer.

Dumolo, 29, was last seen 24 days ago at Four Freedoms Park. Jones, a detective for 12 years, has been working to find her.

What stands out about the case?

“I haven’t found her yet,” he said, adding that he has never not solved a missing person case.

“It’s tough. I’m a father myself. I have three kids and one of them is a daughter; I have a girl.”

The case has grown personal with a lot of long hours.

“We’ve had marine units, we searched the Bimini Basin, we had K-9 dogs out there, we’ve had underwater drones in the basin as well as searching and canvassing the surrounding neighborhoods.”

Dumolo’s boyfriend, Gabriel Pena, on Friday told WINK News he’s “worried. I’m scared … well, not scared, because I didn’t do it.”

Is he a suspect?

“I can’t answer that,” Jones said.

But, “at this point, I am not ruling anything out and I won’t rule it out until I find her.”

Tuesday is Dumolo’s 30th birthday, and her dad said it’s going to be tough.

As for what’s next, Jones said he needs help from everyone because he isn’t getting many tips.

Dumolo’s photo is pinned to the top of WINK News’ Facebook page so you can find and share it easily with your friends.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Dumolo is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-780-TIPS (8477).