Missing Pilot Found

by Jessica Taloney

Published: Tue, January 13, 2009 - 9:23 pm CST Last Updated: Tue, January 13, 2009 - 10:05 pm CST

A missing Indiana pilot is found 48 hours after police say he attempted to fake his death by parachuting out of his airplane and allowing the plane to crash in Santa Rosa County, Florida.

Law enforcement sources tell News Five, a tip lead police to Marcus Schrenker, 38. Schrenker was found Tuesday night inside a tent at a campground near Quincy, Florida. Officers say Schrenker had attempted to commit suicide by slitting his wrists. He has been taken to a local hospital.

Earlier today, a judge in Hamilton County, Indiana issued two arrest warrants for Schrenker, who has been under investigation by the Indiana Secretary of State's office since December 23rd. Schrenker is accused of stealing millions of dollars from investors and acting as an investment adviser after his license lapsed last month.

Schrenker's bond for two counts of securities fraud will be set at $4,000,000, according to court records obtained by News Five. More charges are expected to be filed.

Schrenker grabbed national headlines when he made a phony distress call during a flight from Anderson, Indiana to Destin, Florida. On Sunday, investigators say the Indiana businessman radioed air traffic controllers near Birmingham claiming his windshield imploded. Schrenker told controllers he was bleeding profusely and needed emergency help.

According to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office, Schrenker put his plane on auto-pilot, then parachuted out somewhere near Childersburg, Alabama. The plane crashed shortly after 9:00 pm Sunday in a swampy area in East Milton, Florida.

Investigators believe the scheme was Schrenker's attempt to avoid the fraud investigation back in Indiana.

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cmb1 Says:

Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 9:06 am

Go to AOL.COM it has alot more on all of this.

cmb1 Says:

Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 8:15 am

Was his x wife apart of this plot, so she would inherit life ins and the kids and then meet him in a foreign country? I think people like him should have to pay there on way in jail? He will get a couple of years and be out doing the same thing! I have known people like him. and if the people he embezzled from don’t want to prosecute it will all be dropped… He will pay off the navy and police for tracking him and all is forgotten. Maybe not as dumb as we think?

mustuknow Says:

Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 7:58 am

Yep, now the good old American people get to feed his sorry a$$ and spend good money prosecuting him for his crimes. Just think the amount of money that it will take to house, feed, provide medical care for and prosecute this guy…. I bet it will be in the millions itself and I am sure there is a elementary school or high school out there somewhere who could benefit from that money and put it to a whole lot better use than taking care of this piece of pond scum.

Again, the ones I feel sorry for here is his children. I read somewhere that he had been married for 13 years and had a daughter and 2 young sons and that the reason the wife was divorcing him was because of the girlfriend…. Wonder where the girlfriend is now??????

Last note, if you are running from the law the last place you want to go is a RV park. People who RV know what is going on in the world and they watch out for one another. Did he really think he could ride in there and no one notice him????

BamaBob Says:

Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 7:36 am

Yeah, how many of them were smart enough to see what was coming, send the money overseas and exit the country in a less dramatic way?

cork Says:

Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 7:31 am

Just think Schrenker is a dumb one because he got caught…. Would this not question, or throw flags for the rest of the country as to how many investment bankers, brokers and bank CEO’s that have stolen from the American people that trusted them? How many more are out there, that have not been caught???????

BamaBob Says:

Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 6:45 am

This sure was an elaborate scheme, but it was lousy.

mustuknow Says:

Tue, Jan 13, 2009 at 9:38 pm

Too bad he didn’t succeed at least then maybe his children could have benefitted from his life insurance. Now these kids will have to live with what their father has done for the rest of their lives, life as they have known it is over and all for what…........ because he was a greedy SOB