Kalo mau find data via Model/Eloquent, mending pake `findOrFail` aja, nanti tinggal di try and catch, ini contohnya.

UsersController.php

<?php

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\ModelNotFoundException;

class UsersController extends Controller
{
	/**
	 * Remove the specified resource from storage.
	 *
	 * @param  int  $id
	 * @return Response
	 */
	public function destroy($id)
	{
		try{
			$user = User::findOrFail($id);
			$user->delete();
			return Redirect::route('users.index')
				->withFlashSuccess('That user has been deleted.')
			;
		}catch(ModelNotFoundException $e)
		{
			return $this->redirectNotFound();
		}
	}

	/**
	 * Redirect because the model not found.
	 *
	 * @return Response
	 */
	protected function redirectNotFound()
	{
		return Redirect::route('users.index')
			->withFlashError('That user does not exists.')
		;
	}
}