Now Under Observation At Tallahassee Hospital
ANN REALTIME UPDATE 01.14.09 1430 EST: The odd
saga of Marcus Schrenker's mysterious disappearance began Sunday
night, when he allegedly told air traffic controllers the loss of
his Piper Meridian's windscreen had left him covered in blood. It
ended 48 hours later, when federal agents found him bleeding
profusely at a Florida campground, following an apparent
suicide attempt.
CNN reports officers found Schrenker (shown above) Tuesday
evening at a KOA near Quincy, FL. He was covered with blood, and
incoherent... but still had enough sense about him to resist
initial attempts to come to his aid.
Schrenker was "verbally resistant" to authorities, and repeated
a phrase with the word "die" several times, according to US Marshal
Frank Chinmento. He likely would not have survived longer than an
hour, had officials not found him.
Schrenker is now under observation at a Tallahassee hospital.
He's been charged with two felonies in connection with alleged
fraud related to his job as a financial advisor.
Authorities say Schrenker had plenty of food and water when they
found him, as well as other supplies indicating he had planned to
remain on the run for some time. Officials wouldn't comment about
how they found Schrenker, though there are reports marshals tracked
the 38-year-old fugitive to the campground through an email he sent
Monday to an acquaintance in Indiana.
While there's still more speculation involved than actual fact
concerning why Schrenker apparently hatched his elaborate scheme,
it's not difficult to realize that the failed investment broker's
world was collapsing around him.
As ANN reported, Schrenker faced an Indiana
state investigation into three of his financial firms, and a
half-million-dollar penalty owed to an insurance firm for allegedly
collecting commissions to which he wasn't entitled.
Schrenker's wife, Michelle, filed for divorce on December 30,
claiming her husband had engaged in several extramarital affairs.
On Monday, an Indiana judge seized the couples' financial
assets.
Investigators on scene in East Milton, FL, where Schrenker's
plane crashed, found numerous personal items connecting the
pilot to the accident. Contrary to earlier reports, both of
the plane's windscreens were intact when officials came across the
wreckage of the aircraft... but the cabin door was missing, having
either been jettisoned by Schrenker before he parachuted from the
aircraft, or stripped from the plane by aerodynamic or impact
forces.
Officials have theorized Schrenker intended for the aircraft to
crash in the Gulf of Mexico, which is within sight of the accident
scene... but drag from the open door resulted in a higher fuel burn
rate than the pilot had planned for, resulting in the plane
crashing within 100 yards of two homes.
As the plane had exhausted its fuel supply, there was no
post-impact fire... leaving investigators with a wealth of
evidence, so to speak.