Black bear territory has been slowly expanding (recovering?) into this area, but it’s rare enough that a sighting would be locally newsworthy. Very occasionally, a mountain lion does move through the outskirts of the St. Louis region, but they are males just moving through. No breeding population. So while not impossible, these two culprits are very unlikely.
For those trying to picture the Meremac/Meramac River, here’s the story. In this part of the state, and especially when it rains, the river is not clear. The river has been up lately and opaque brown, like mud.I asked on the family Facebook page (linked below) whether she was supposed to work Monday morning and haven't heard back. I looked at the school district's calendar & found nothing that states what date the school year ends.
Updates this morning are informative re: SAR & LE efforts. All the searchers have covered a lot of ground with some areas searched multiple times.
Nearby cameras are being checked & one of her stepsons will be talking to detectives about those results. It's Thursday so the sooner, the better!
The community is concerned & working together well covering trails. Because of that, if she is on the trail system, I think she will be found. The Meramac River is being searched by kayakers.
A meetup hiking group is going out this morning:
THURSDAY SEARCH PARTY FOR CAROL SCHULTE, Thu, May 26, 2022, 10:00 AM | Meetup
CONTINUING THE SEARCH FOR CAROL SCHULTE. Check website before heading out, if weather threatens. We'll start at the AF trailhead in Glencoe, walk to Sherman Beach and prowww.meetup.com
Dogs have not picked up her scent. They need some clues as to whether she ever used the trails that day. I see questions about that now in the latest posts here:
www.facebook.com
Come home, Carol!
Welcome to Websleuths @FrogChair
I see some sources saying that her phone was turned off after the parking lot/trailhead ping. I don’t understand how the technology works. Without the phone in hand, is it possible for LE to know that her phone was turned off versus that it died? It’s safe to assume that her van would have been thoroughly searched inside by this point, correct? The phone is also missing, right? Cell phone coverage can be spotty in some of the parks on the outskirts of the western St. Louis county suburbs, so I‘m wondering if a call going straight to her voicemail on Monday would not necessarily prove much to a caller.
Thank you, This is a relief.
Her car is at a trailhead that (from my limited knowledge) leads only to trails that have been or are being searched. Maybe her red van was left there as a red herring (seems unlikely).
After repeated attempts, this wont play for me, can someone please summarize?
The speaker is one of her stepsons, Tim Schulte.
Thank you. Still holding out hope.
The last ping was 6:30 AM. Phone was off at 7:00 AM.
And the current is very swift. There are a few drownings in the Meramac river every year.
This is sobering.
And an alarming number of those drownings happen at neighboring Castlewood State Park. From Wikipedia: “Castlewood State Park … has a history of fatalities due to the Meramac River. Since June 30, 2004, there has been a total of 12 deaths along the river within the park. Of the 12 drowning deaths, only one was the result of intoxication.”
I agree. There’s the van and one ping from her phone. Is there any proof that she made it from the van to the trail? Or that she was ever there at all? As search results turn up nothing, and info like the trail closure comes to light, I think the original premise of lost/injured hiker must be revisited.
Castlewood State Park is 1,818.77 acres of thick woods on hilly terrain. Searchers miss people in much less unfriendly terrain all the time. Occam's Razor says that she is in the park.
7 miles one way? More likely she's in the Meramac, very unfortunately
