Found Deceased FL - Makuach “Paul” Yak, 30, 7th grade basketball coach, missed tournament, Delray Beach, 20 May 2023

[GuyfromCanada]

Delray Beach police are desperately searching for Makuach Yak, a 30-year-old man who has not been seen since Saturday, May 20, 2023. Makuach Yak, a beloved seventh-grade travel basketball coach in Boca Raton, was reportedly last seen on Saturday morning at his home in the 300 block of Southwest 10th Avenue.

Makuach Yak, a native of South Sudan, is a travelling basketball coach who works to build basketball courts in East Africa when he is not in Florida coaching the seventh graders.

Authorities said that Makuach Yak left behind his phone, wallet, and Apple Watch, which was always on his arm, before vanishing from his home. Friends and loved ones, who have joined the search efforts for the missing basketball coach, speculated that Yak might have left for a run in the morning before going to coach the AAU team.

More at What happened to Makuach yak? Search for the missing basketball coach intensifies

According to WPBF News, Yak was last seen Saturday morning around 6:30 a.m. via his home security camera, appearing to be heading out for a run.

Yak’s roommate Tate VanRoekel had arranged to pick Yak up for a coaching commitment Saturday morning and was concerned when Yak was not home, WPBF reports.

Former Augie athlete missing in Florida

Makuach “Paul” Yak, a former Augustana track athlete from Storm Lake, has been reported missing in Delray Beach, Florida.

www.dakotanewsnow.com

 

[GuyfromCanada]

What could have happened? Perhaps Makuach had a confrontation with someone while running?

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

running without his phone or fruity watch? I'mma say that doesn't sound right...

 

[NervousNellie]

There is a FB group, though I'm not sure we can share it since I have no way of knowing it is the "official" page.

Use the terms below to search for it - they have images from his run that morning.

Missing: Find Coach Yak​

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

anything odd in the FB post or video of him running for those of us who stay away from FB?

 

[Unsolved]

His FB last post May 17, 2023 (also check March 16 comment):

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[Springrain]

How awful, he sounds like a nice guy.

Do we know if he just lived with his one roommate who was mentioned above or if there were other people in the home?

I have seen the FB photo of him running and it looks completely normal, nothing out of the ordinary.

I wonder if something happened to him after he got back home?

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

does it appear he is wearing his appIe watch in the vid of him running?

 

[Springrain]

does it appear he is wearing his appIe watch in the vid of him running?

It looks like he may be wearing something white with a wide band in the picture (it's blurry and not good quality), but it looks more like a cloth sports wristband to me than an Apple watch. It might be a reflection?

 

[KooshBall]

It seems strange he would go running without the apple watch. Unless it is a high crime area, where one would be worried about getting robbed? Whenever someone goes missing after leaving their home without their phone or wallet, I tend to worry that they left to commit suicide. I hope he is found, safe and alive, he seems like a great person.

 

[Unalienable Rights]

The pictures of him running can be seen in the comments on the Delray Beach Police FB page. See replies to comment by CC. CC is his family member. There are also other interesting comments.

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[NervousNellie]

Yes, very interesting comments in the LE FB posted above.

 

[sunflowermomma]

He is a tall guy! 6'4". I wonder if the kids he coach or his running friends can confirm what style of workout clothes he prefers to run in.

I am not a runner myself but I have ultramarathoners in my family and his clothing looks a little heavy for runnning, especially in Florida, but I know different people have different preferences for that. It doesn't look like he's wearing his apple watch or a Strava band or anything.

The missing flyer states that he Coach Yak is anemic. At 6'4" and super skinny, plus anemic, plus Florida heat, I can see why the roommate would be worried if he always went on a morning run and didn't return one day.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

nothing new but bumping - lots of WSers in FL

 

[Springrain]

I'm worried about the possibility of Coach Yak fainting due to anemia combined with possible dehydration after a run in the hot Florida weather, and possibly hitting his head on something or otherwise becoming injured and possibly unable to move. I'd guess something more along those lines than foul play at this point in time.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

but they did look and had he had a medical emergency, they would have probably found him.

 

[Springrain]

but they did look and had he had a medical emergency, they would have probably found him.

One would hope so but not necessarily, especially if he went on a different route than he normally did, passed out in a spot that is difficult to reach, got wedged behind something or fell into a ravine, etc. Hopefully that is not the case though and he is OK.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

"Paul is still alive somewhere, we just don’t know where he is," said Nyalang Yay, the coach's sister.

"I talked to my brother Thursday, I tried to understand and figure out what the heck is going on," said Bidong Yak, Yak's brother.

"This whole situation seems fishy to me," said Nyalang Yak. "Nothing adds up we don’t have any leads, this is very out of character it doesn’t make sense."

'Paul is still alive somewhere, we just don't know where': Local coach still missing

The search continues for a missing basketball coach from Delray Beach who disappeared just ahead of a tournament on Saturday.

cbs12.com

 

[sunflowermomma]

His family has been very organized and informative. Lots of community members rooting for Coach Yak.

It would be extremely bold to attack, assault, or rob a 6'4" athletic-looking dude in a random attack, especially during daylight morning hours

 

[PayrollNerd]

A random thought. Makuach is a native of South Sudan. Has he gained US Citizenship? Perhaps he is seeking asylum somewhere and needed to go "off grid" for a bit to make it happen. No idea how that would come to pass because I am definitely not versed in that topic. JMO