Missing Florida Lyft driver found dead as car surfaces in North Carolina

An elderly Florida Lyft driver who went missing in January was found dead, his family has confirmed.

Gary Levin, 74, of Palm Beach Garden, was last seen on 30 January giving a ride in Delray Beach around 1.30.

“My dad was truly a one of a kind person, if you knew him or even met him once you know exactly what I mean when I say that,” his daughter, Lindsay DiBetta wrote on Facebook on Tuesday. “The stories I have received about him from friends, family and complete strangers over the last week have lifted me up more than you can ever realize.”

On Tuesday, Florida officials said they had identified a set of human remains found over the weekend in Okeechobee, neary Levin’s last-known location, though declined to make the name public, citing state law.

Levin had recently moved to Florida after retiring from the auto parts business in Pennsylvania, the New York Post reported. The 74-year-old picked up Lyft driving as a way to pass the time and chat with new people, according to his family.

On 2 February, North Carolina state troopers found Levin’s Kia Stinger in possession of Matthew Scott Flores, 35, who was wanted on murder charges for a 24 January killing in the Florida city of Wauchula.

According to officials, Mr Flores led troopers on a car chase across multiple North Carolina counties outside of Charlotte, the Palm Beach Post reported.