Missing
Michael W. Schmidt
Schmidt, approximately 2018
Date and time person was reported missing : 06/10/2018
Missing location (approx) :
Pawnee, Illinois
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
White
Age at the time of disappearance: 59 years old
Height / Weight : 5'7 - 5'8, 130 - 140 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A gray shirt, blue jeans and cowboy boots.
Medical conditions : Schmidt suffers from cancer and was in poor health at the time of his disappearance. He has a stoma (surgically created hole) on his trachea with a breathing tube inserted, and as a result he is unable to speak.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian male. Gray hair, brown eyes. Schmidt had a scruffy beard at the time of his disappearance.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Schmidt was last seen in the 7600 block of Vigal Road, near where the road intersects Brush Creek, in Pawnee, Illinois between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. on June 10, 2018. He was hunting arrowheads with a friend. His friend tried to wave for Schmidt to return to their vehicle, but Schmidt merely acknowledged the wave and never went to the car. He has never been heard from again.
In the hours after Schmidt went missing, it rained approximately six inches in the area and Brush Creek rose to a depth of ten to twelve feet. The extreme rain flooded the timber and nearby fields for about one hundred to two hundred yards around the creek, with the floodwaters knee- to waist-high in places. What followed was a heat wave. The inclement weather seriously hindered search efforts.
Due to his state of health and the circumstances of his disappearance, Schmidt is considered to be in danger. His case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Sangamon County Sheriff's Office
217-753-6840
September 2021 updates and sources
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
The Journal-News
The State Journal-Register
WAND 17
Fox 55 27
October 12, 2004. June 14, 2019; .
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
