Boyfriend, roommate persons of interest in woman's disappearance

HAINES CITY (FOX 13) - A desperate family and frustrated investigators spent Thursday trying to figure out what happened to Yanela Lorente.

There’s still no sign of the 28-year-old Haines City woman who mysteriously disappeared on Sunday and hasn't been seen or heard from since. That said, the large-scale investigation does appear to be narrowing its focus. 

As each day passes, investigators say foul play looks more and more probable. Lorente’s family has been camped out at the police department, hoping for news.

Investigators, meanwhile, say they now have two persons of interest - the last two people who saw Yanela before she disappeared - Yanela’s boyfriend and his business partner, who was also their roommate.

READ: Missing Haines City woman's car found near park

“[A] person of interest will be anybody that last saw her, so right now it’s the boyfriend that last saw her and Ian Lloyd last saw her,” explained Haines City Deputy Chief of Police Jim Elensky.

Overnight, investigators got a search warrant and took laptops and other undisclosed evidence out of the house where Yanela Lorente lived with her boyfriend, Ruben Leal Mesa, and another man, Ian Lloyd.

Police are shedding some light on the last moments Yanela was seen. They say Mesa and Lloyd, who are also business partners, recently went to the Orlando outlet mall to buy a gaming computer.  They didn't let Yanela tag along, which upset her.

“Allegedly there was an argument and she wanted to go blow off steam and that's why she went to the park,” Elensky said.

Yanela apparently left the house alone in her car around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, heading for the 600-acre reserve - a place all three have been before. Her vehicle was found there but there's been no sign of Yanela since, despite multiple search efforts.

On Thursday, Mesa showed up at police headquarters and spoke with Lorente’s mother - presumably for the first time since she went missing.

“He is willing to talk to us anytime, but again, that doesn't bring him out of the box,” Elensky said.

Police say after they interviewed Lloyd, he seems to have left Polk County.

Elensky says Lloyd was not being forthcoming and “very standoffish.”

Lorente’s family, however, plans to stay put for the long haul. They came from southwest Florida to try and help. Now they are exhausted from worry.

Yanela’s mother made a desperate plea in front of TV cameras Thursday, with Yanela’s sister, Yani translating.

“If anyone knows anything, please call. We would appreciate it. Please call the police department,” Yani Lorente said for her mother.

The family also spent the day Thursday passing out fliers and talking to people in the community about the missing 28-year-old.  

 “It’s terrible not knowing where she is. You just want to scream,” Yani said. "I am determined that I am going to find her, that we are going to find her as a family, as a group, that we are going to find her.”

Investigators say on Friday they plan to go back to the 600-acre wildlife area where Yanela's car was found. They plan to go all out - with people on the ground and in the air - with hopes that Yanela will finally be found.