Missing Hunter is Found in Creek

Missing hunter is found in creek
By Jewel Miller Dispatch Correspondent



MACON - The first sign to passersby that a breakthrough had come in the search for a man missing since Wednesday evening came when the spacious green lawn at the home of Miriam and Morris Miller was empty of the vehicles, horse trailers, 4-wheelers and boats that had virtually covered it for two days.Only a few cars and trucks of family and friends remained on Saturday morning and the air was hushed and still.
The body of 34-year-old Kermit Gingerich of Kalona, Iowa was recovered in the remote regions surrounding the Noxubee River west of Macon on the Millers' farm at 9:05 p.m. Friday, according to Curtis Gandy, boating and safety coordinator for the state Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.After finding Gingerich's raincoat, binoculars and other personal items, his body was discovered a short distance away submerged in a creek, Gandy said.The discovery ended an intense search and recovery operation that began on Wednesday evening when Gingerich didn't show up at the Miller residence where he was staying.Family members and friends said they'd been told Gingerich apparently drowned, but authorities would not confirm a cause of death until an autopsy is completed in Jackson early this week. But authorities said they do not expect foul play but rather think Gingerich got lost in the woods and likely hurt himself or stumbled into the creek in the darkness.Gingerich and a friend, Aaron Swartzentruber, also from Kalona, were visiting the Millers and spending their days hunting wild hogs in the remote area west of Macon.After several days successful hunting, the two went back to the untamed bottomlands Wednesday, the day severe thunderstorms caused flash flooding in the area and Gingerich never returned.Swartzentruber said he returned to the house expecting Gingerich to soon follow but when he didn't show up by nightfall, Swartzentruber called friends who went with him back to the hunting grounds.For the next 52 hours someone was searching for Gingerich nearly all the time. The search operation included combing approximately 500 acres of land bordering the river on foot, on horses and 4-wheelers, and by boats, Miller said.Searches by air were conducted with local pilots flying over the area Thursday and the Air Force National Guard Recovery Unit from Jackson assisting with a helicopter Friday. Gandy said at least 60 people were involved in the search with about 35 actually walking on footDogs from the Golden Triangle Canine Search and rescue team and from Search Dogs South of Byhalia were dispatched on Thursday.Officers with the Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Emergency Management, Mississippi Highway Patrol, Noxubee Sheriff's Department, Macon Police Department, firefighters and many friends and volunteers assisted in the search, Gandy stated.Gingerich was married to the former Kim Slabaugh of Kalona for 12 years. They have four children, Kayla, 10, Kelsie, 8, Karson, almost 7, and Keegan, 3, all of Kalona. He was the son of the late Rudy Gingerich and Marianna Gingerich, also of Kalona. He is survived by three brothers and two sisters.An automotive mechanic by trade, Gingerich is remembered as a hard-working family man.“He was a good provider, such a hard worker and so proud of his children. How do we tell them what happened? Karson is going to turn 7 next week and was going to join the ball team. Now this happened,” said Virgil Slabaugh, Gingerich's father-in-law.Slabaugh expressed appreciation for the members of the search party.“Those were real people out there. How can I say what they mean to us? I just can't say enough good things about them,” he said.Arrangements are being handled by Peterseim Funeral Home in Iowa. Contributions to the family can be sent to Cornerstone Community Church at P.O. Box 728, Macon, MS, 39341.

Copyright © 2006
The Commercial Dispatch
516 Main Street
P.O. Box 511
Columbus, MS 39703
Phone: 662-328-2424