Phillip Carnell Obituary, Death – Latest information on the missing hunter: It is with great regret that the ONSR reports that searchers located the body of 58-year-old Phillip Carnell early on the morning of November 16, not far from the location where he had intended to hunt when he was last seen on November 13. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Carnell’s family and friends during this difficult time. Carnell, who hails from Sikeston, Missouri, was out hunting deer in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Carter County, close to Cave Spring. On the morning of November 13, a friend drove him to the location where he hunted and dropped him off there.
After he failed to return from hunting later in the day as expected and his family and friends were unable to locate him, a missing person report was filed for him. The search for Carnell was started that evening by various emergency personnel in the area. On November 16, after more than two days of intense searching, volunteers on horseback found Carnell’s body on a small island in a slough. The island was in the middle of a slough. While he was looking for a deer, it is thought that he became disoriented and ended up on the island after crossing the slough. The state of the body is compatible with death brought on by hypothermia and exposure to the elements. An investigation is currently in way.
The Ozark National Scenic Riverways is thankful for the assistance provided by each and every individual who was part in the project. Throughout the course of the search, a variety of local government agencies, fire departments, and other organizations contributed both personnel and resources. On November 14 and 15, there were nearly 150 volunteers who searched the area as part of the tremendous outpouring of community support that was shown. The search teams made extensive use of almost every available method of searching, including those on land, in the water, and in the air. Volunteers and people responding to calls for help traveled through the area on foot, in vehicles, on boats, and on horses.
In an effort to follow a scent trail, multiple aircraft and drones flew over the area multiple times, and dog teams were also utilized in the search.
Volunteers for the search operation gathered at the Carter County Mobile Command Center, which had been transported to the out-of-the-way location so that it could function as the operation’s command center.
