Search For Missing Man Suspended

On January 3rd, rangers were notified that a missing 46 year-old Tampa man who was despondent over a diagnosis of a severe illness might be in the park. Investigation revealed that he’d stayed in the Flamingo campground on December 16th and that he had not been seen since then. The man’s vehicle was found at the Whitewater Bay parking lot. An air and water search was launched on January 4th, with all high probability locations searched until nightfall. On January 5th, a volunteer found the man’s canoe on land near Buttonwood Canal. Dogs were brought in late in the day to search the area around the canoe. The operation was  suspended at nightfall, but air and ground searchers and dogs resumed looking for the man the next day. No further evidence was found that would provide any additional information on his whereabouts. The search continued for three more days, with ground teams conducting methodical grid searches and cadaver dogs attempting to pick up the scent of a body, before being called off on January 9th. The area where the canoe was found consists of dense tropical forest surrounded by marshland and shallow lakes. Tony Terry was IC.