Volusia County middle school teacher missing for weeks

PORT ORANGE, Fla. - A teacher in Central Florida has been missing for weeks.

Robert Heikka’s last known location was near Interstate 4 and State Road 44 near the Volusia County Fairgrounds. His cell phone pinged there, but that was more than two weeks ago, but Port Orange Police still haven’t had any luck finding him.

Robert Heikka is a Creekside Middle School teacher and investigators have been searching high and low for him since last month.

“This is a weird case in that we’re really confused because it’s extremely out of behavior for him,” said Port Orange Police Public Information Officer Andre Fleming.

Fleming said it’s “out of behavior” because he’s a middle school teacher who’s taught in Volusia County for decades and is beloved by his teachers and neighbors.

According to a police affidavit, he was first reported missing on October 26, when he didn’t show up at school.

“When he didn’t show up to work, it was immediately something that wasn’t normal and something that people were suspicious of right away,” said Fleming.

Police said there was no sign of a break-in at his house. Police spoke with Heikka’s daughter, son, and neighbors, but none of them know where he is.

According to a police report, neighbors mentioned seeing a woman at his house recently, but police say they eventually tracked her down and determined she’s not a person of interest.

Heikka is not known to have any medical conditions or dementia.

“The family is obviously shaken up and they want resolution as quickly as possible and they want to find their father and their loved one as quickly as possible,” said Fleming.

Port Orange Police told followers on Facebook the case is a number one priority, in part because of his prominence in the community.

“While we take every case equally, we do want to make sure that something like this is handled as quickly as possible and that we locate him,” said Fleming.

Heikka’s car is gone too. Police say he may be driving his white 2012 Chevrolet Impala with a license plate number KRZI78. He’s about 6 feet, 2 inches tall, 250 pounds, with gray hair, blue eyes, and prescription glasses.

If you see him or know where he may be, call Port Orange Police.