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| Switzer, John 1-10-2015 AL; gulf shores: missing kayaker | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 12 2015, 06:50 PM (433 Views) | |
| Ell | Jan 12 2015, 06:50 PM Post #1 |
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Heart of Gold
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Posted: Monday, January 12, 2015 10:02 am | Updated: 12:23 pm, Mon Jan 12, 2015. From combined reports | 0 comments NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard is searching for a kayaker whose last known location was near Gulf Shores, Alabama, Saturday. According to Gulf Shores police, John Switzer was last heard from on Saturday, Jan. 10 at approximately 12:30 p.m. Mr. Switzer has not been seen or heard from since. His family is extremely concerned for his welfare. Switzer last communicated with his family while he was reportedly in a yellow kayak fishing and not wearing a life jacket off the coast of Gulf Shores, the U.S. Coast Guard reported. Switzer is described as a 24-year-old male white with brown hair and brown eyes, he's 6-foot-1 and weighs approximately 183 pounds. He was staying in the 2900 block of West Beach Blvd. and the last time Switzer spoke with family he was currently on his kayak fishing. Gulf Shores detectives are working with the U.S. Coast Guard in this missing person investigation. Anyone with information on John Switzer’s whereabouts is asked to contact Sgt. Woodruff at 251-968-1238. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to our communications center at 251-968-2431. The Coast Guard was notified at 10 p.m., Sunday. A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium from Coast Guard Station Dauphine Island as well as an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile were launched shortly after the Coast Guard was notified. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter was launched from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans to continue the search from the air earlier Monday. The Coast Guard Cutter Cobia, a patrol boat from Mobile arrived on scene at around 7 a.m., Monday. Gulf Shores Police Department is also assisting by conducting shoreline search patterns on land. If you have information as to the whereabouts of Switzer, please contact Coast Guard Sector Mobile Command Center at 251-441-6212. http://www.gulfcoastnewstoday.com/area_new...89420cdd6d.html |
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Ell Only after the last tree has been cut down; Only after the last fish has been caught; Only after the last river has been poisoned; Only then will you realize that money cannot be eaten. | |
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| tatertot | Jan 14 2015, 07:18 AM Post #2 |
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http://www.nola.com/news/baton-rouge/index...hn_switzer.html Missing fisherman's kayak found partially submerged near Dauphin Island, AL.com reports By Emily Lane, NOLA.com on January 13, 2015 at 3:25 PM The search for a missing kayaker from Mississippi continued Tuesday near Gulf Shores, Ala., after U.S. Coast Guard officials recovered a kayak they believe the missing man had been using, according to AL.com. Family members of John Switzer, 24, last heard from him Sunday (Jan. 11) when he told them he was kayak fishing on the waters off Gulf Shores. The kayak was found partially submerged around 3:30 p.m. Monday near Dauphin Island. Foggy conditions complicated Monday's search, the website reports. |
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| Ell | Jan 30 2015, 11:17 PM Post #3 |
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Heart of Gold
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Search Suspended: The U.S. Coast Guard has called off its search for missing kayaker John Switzer, after he disappeared in the waters off Gulf Shores on Saturday. Response crews covered more than 2,115 square miles in their search over the last several days, covering land and water with boats and helicopters. On Monday, Switzer's kayak was discovered floating 3 miles off-shore by the Coast Guard. Numerous agencies, including the Dauphin Island Police Department and the Fort Morgan Fire Department, assisted in the search efforts. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Mr. Switzer. The men and women of the Coast Guard are deeply committed to the preservation of life at sea. It is always a bitter disappointment to us when we cannot bring someone home safely. Their loss is our loss." said Commander Chris Cederholm of Coast Guard Sector Mobile. Switzer's family is holding vigil back home in Starkville, Mississippi. A family friend says the possibility of having to deal with a painful conclusion to the search is starting to sink in. --- MONDAY UPDATE: Under improved weather conditions Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard has located "a partially submerged yellow kayak." News 5 is told the kayak is believed to be the same one used by the missing Mississippi man John Switzer. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the kayak was located between Dauphin Island and Petit Bois Island. More details on this developing story on News 5 at Noon. --- SUNDAY STORY: The U.S. Coast Guard is currently searching for a kayaker who went missing off the coast of Gulf Shores, though fog is hampering the efforts, sources tell News 5. Two ship vessels and a helicopter are actively looking for the man who was reportedly kayaking Saturday evening before officially being reported missing. We've learned the kayaker, 24-year-old John Switzer of Starkville, Mississippi, last spoke to his family while in a yellow kayak in Gulf Shores, though he was reportedly not wearing a life jacket. News 5 is told Switzer went missing around 7:00pm on Saturday and was officially reported as missing at 10:00pm that night. Local authorities are said to be assisting in the search by the shoreline, while the two boats and chopper search the water. The Mississippi man was enjoying a quick, weekend getaway by himself at his family's beach house when he disappeared. A family friend who lives in Gulf Shores found Switzer's car parked at the family's beach house. Switzker's keys were on the floorboard along with clothes and receipts, indicating the kayaker bought coffee and donuts Saturday morning before taking to the water. Drag marks, presumably from Switzer pulling his kayak from the beach to the water, are visible in the sand. Switzer sent a panoramic photo of his view from the kayak to family members before he went missing. News 5 has obtained a copy of the image, showing Switzer off the coast of Gulf Shores. A friend of the family found Switzer's car and keys at the beach house, but no signs of Switzer. If you have information as to the whereabouts of Switzer, please contact Coast Guard Sector Mobile Command Center at 251-441-6212.Updates tonight on News 5. http://www.wkrg.com/story/27827916/search-...-in-gulf-shores |
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Ell Only after the last tree has been cut down; Only after the last fish has been caught; Only after the last river has been poisoned; Only then will you realize that money cannot be eaten. | |
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| tatertot | Feb 1 2015, 10:54 AM Post #4 |
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http://www.sunherald.com/2015/01/14/601730...ississippi.html Search ends for Mississippi kayaker missing near Gulf Shores By ASSOCIATED PRESS January 14, 2015 GULF SHORES, Ala. -- The search is ending for a Mississippi man who's been missing since he went fishing in a kayak along the Alabama coast on Saturday. WKRG-TV reports the hunt is being called off after the U.S. Coast Guard covered more than 2,100 square miles and didn't locate 24-year-old John Switzer of Starkville. Gulf Shores police say the Coast Guard found what's believed to be the kayak used by Switzer on Monday. The small boat was partially submerged when it was located in the Gulf between Dauphin Island and Petit Bois Island. Police say Switzer hasn't been heard from since he told relatives he was kayak fishing on Saturday. The man was vacationing in Gulf Shores at the time. He posted photos from the water to social media before disappearing. |
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