A Williamsburg man who went missing during a solo kayak trip in the Florida Everglades was found alive after his cellphone washed up on a riverbank.
“Deputies, in conjunction with the National Parks Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, have located a missing kayaker whose belongings were located in the Lopez River Sunday evening,” according to a Facebook post from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
Authorities identified the man as Mark Miele, 67. He went on a solo kayaking trip in Everglades National Park Jan. 22. He was due back from his trip Jan. 29 but did not return.
The sheriff’s office said Miele’s bag including his wallet and phone washed up on the bank of the Lopez River on Sunday.
https://www.facebook.com/colliersheriff/videos/596707964223601/
Authorities were able to recover data from the phone showing where he’d been. The sheriff’s office said helicopter crew then spotted Miele on Monday and led a marine unit to his location.
“By downloading the data on Mark’s phone Sunday night, deputies found his most recent coordinates logged on Jan. 31 and our Aviation Unit began a targeted search of the area,” authorities said.
Miele, authorities said, is safe and being treated at a hospital.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
