Edgewater, FL - A man who went missing on Friday while hunting in dense woods near Edgewater was located. Multiple agencies teamed up to search for the man and were able to recover him alive.
According to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office (VCSO), John Schilling, 65, Ohio, left a residence in the 4000-block of Liza Clinton Road at about 6:30 AM, Friday, April 28, and walked into the woods to rifle hunt for hogs.
The VCSO reports that at around 12:30 PM, the man's cousin (also visiting from Ohio) received a call from Schilling saying he was in some thick brush and he was lost. The cousin drove to 35th Street and told Schilling to fire off some rounds into the air so he could try to get a fix on his location. The cousin said he heard gun shots coming from the south, but they seemed to be quite a distance away. Officials believe Schilling's phone battery had died.
The cousin started searching for the man, but couldn't find him, so he flagged down an Edgewater animal control officer for help just before 2:30 PM Friday afternoon. That prompted a massive woods search that included ATVs and scent-sniffing dogs. In addition to the VCSO, other agencies involved in the search included the Edgewater Police Department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Tomoka Correctional Institution also sent bloodhound teams to the scene to assist in the search. A Sheriff's Office helicopter conducted several flyovers on Friday, but was unable to see much from the air because of the thick tree canopy below.
The search continued Saturday morning, with bloodhounds returning to the scene. The general search area was bounded by Liza Clinton Road to the east, Volvo Road to the south, Cow Creek Road to the west and 35th Street to the north.
Schilling was located and medically evaluated on Saturday. He was suffering from dehydration, but conscious, alert and in otherwise good condition. He was transported to Florida Hospital New Smyrna as a precaution.
Photos courtesy of the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
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