Missing Family Found After Night in Fla. Everglades

A family of five from Medina, Ohio, that went missing in the Florida Everglades was found on Friday, according to authorities.
Missing Family Found After Night in Fla. Everglades
This undated photo provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shows the airboat used by a family as they took off in the Florida Everglades, Thursday, April 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)
Jack Phillips
4/5/2013
Updated:
7/18/2015

MIAMI—An Ohio family of five that failed to return from an airboat excursion in the remote Florida Everglades was found safe Friday after searchers heard them blowing whistles and an air horn.

The family was spotted by a helicopter in thick vegetation, where their airboat apparently got stuck, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Jorge Pino said. The vegetation was too dense to spot the family at ground level, even from nearby.

“We weren’t able to see them, we were only able to hear them,” Pino said. “They are in good condition.”

The family was identified as 44-year-old Scott Schreck; his 42-year-old wife, Carrie; and their three young children. They launched their airboat Thursday morning at a wildlife management area in extreme western Miami-Dade County but did not return by nightfall.

Law enforcement, fire rescue and wildlife agencies launched a massive search, using helicopters, airplanes and at least six airboats. The area spreads over some 1,000 square miles in three South Florida counties north of Everglades National Park and is covered in tall, sharp-edged sawgrass that limits visibility.

It’s also home to alligators, Florida panthers, snakes, turtles, a vast array of birds and fish. Finding amissing family in such conditions is a challenge, said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokesman Lt. Arnold Piedrahita Jr. The boat was painted in camouflage, making it even harder to find.

“It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack,” he said.  

Pino said the family appeared to be in good health even after spending the night in the wilderness, which was swept by strong thunderstorms Thursday and more rain Friday. It wasn’t immediately clear where the familywere being taken or how they were getting out of the Everglades.

Pino said Schreck was a “savvy outdoorsman” who did the right thing by making as much noise as possible.

“If you get into that dense vegetation with an airboat, it’s almost next to impossible to get out,” he said.

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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