Crews will return to California’s Mojave Desert on Saturday to resume the search for a Williamsburg woman who went missing while on a cross-country road trip with her husband, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department told WYDaily on Wednesday.
Susan Schmierer, 65, and her husband, William, 64, left Williamsburg on May 27. They were last seen June 2 near Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark, a 250-foot-tall extinct volcano about 100 miles from Palm Springs, California.
On June 13, authorities found the Schmierers’ vehicle at a trailhead near the crater. The vehicle had been parked there for about 10 days and appeared to be abandoned, the sheriff’s department said.
Three days later, deputies discovered William Schmierer’s body about a quarter-mile away from the trailhead, but found no signs of his wife. Foul play is not suspected in his death, the sheriff’s department said.
On June 25, a search for Susan Schmierer was called off after ground temperatures reached 165 degrees and two rescue vehicles became bogged down in the rugged terrain near the crater.
Searchers will again comb the area near the crater on Saturday, despite a forecast calling for high temperatures near 110 degrees, sheriff’s department spokeswoman Jodi Miller told WYDaily.
Crews are expected to hit the ground early Saturday and search until about noon to avoid working in extreme conditions, which can be exacerbated by the dark lava rock that covers the area around the crater, Miller said.
Miller said the search is now considered a recovery operation.
Susan and William Schmierer were last seen alive on surveillance footage taken at 11:13 a.m. June 2 at the Amboy Crater visitor center. The video has not been released.
The Schmierers were “engaged and valued members” of the William & Mary community, college spokeswoman Erin Zagursky said last month. They are parents of two alumni, and William Schmierer was a member of the Swem Board from 2014 to 2016. Both have volunteered with Special Collections.
Susan Schmierer also worked part time in undergraduate admissions from 2010 to 2017, Zagursky said.
In addition to William Schmierer, three others have died at Amboy Crater in the past 12 months, according to the sheriff’s department.
In August 2017, a husband and wife were found dead after going hiking in 113-degree heat.
On May 30, just days before the Schmierers went missing, a hiker found the body of a 61-year-old man near one of the park’s trails.
RELATED COVERAGE:
- Williamsburg couple goes missing on road trip through California; car, man’s remains found
- Extreme heat stops search for Williamsburg woman missing in California desert
Managing Editor Bryan DeVasher can be reached at bryan@localvoicemedia.com
