Staff Reports
SEYMOUR — Multiple agencies worked Friday to find and rescue a lost hunter who became stuck in a swamp in the Muscatatuck Wildlife Refuge in eastern Jackson County.
At approximately 10 a.m. Friday, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department received a 9-1-1 call from James Cole, 63, Seymour.
Cole stated he was hunting at the wildlife refuge with his grandson. He said they got separated and he became lost. Cole stated he soon became stuck in a swamp and unable to move.
Officer Josh Daniel, Seymour Police Department, Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, Indiana State Police, and Deputy Kevin Settle, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department soon arrived on scene and located the grandson. The officers entered the woods and attempted to locate Cole. The officers eventually located Cole a half mile to a mile from the road after hearing him yell for help. Cole was stuck in thick mud and unable to move. The swampy ground and thick vegetation made accessing Cole difficult.
Officers used logs and sticks to create temporary bridges to be able to get close to Cole. Trooper David Owsley, Indiana State Police, Deputy Zach Elliott, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Officer Frank Polyak, along with members of the Jackson County EMS and Redding Township Fire Department, arrived on scene to assist.
With the assistance of Cole’s grandson, officers were able to get a rope to Cole who had sunk into the mud up to his waist. He was able to wrap the rope around himself. The officers were then able to pull him out of the mud and eventually out of the marshland to the closest road.
Cole was treated by Jackson County EMS at the scene, state police said. Although he was exhausted, Cole was uninjured.
