Crime & Safety
Missing Lockport Kayaker Found Safe: Coast Guard
A helicopter located the missing 57-year-old Tuesday morning in Florida.
LOCKPORT, IL — The Coast Guard and the National Park Service say a missing Lockport man has been found safe after failing to return from a 10-day Everglades Wilderness Waterway kayaking trip. James Soltis, 57, was reported overdue by his daughter on Monday evening after failing to return as planned on Sunday.
Just after 9 a.m. Monday, the Coast Guard said Soltis had been located and was safe. He was spotted camping from a U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Miami helicopter, the Coast Guard said on Twitter. The Everglades National Park Service also verified that Soltis had been found.
#Update An @USCG Air Station Miami Helicopter has located the missing kayaker safe; verified by @EvergladesNPS.
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) March 27, 2018
Soltis left from the Flamingo Visitor Center in Homestead, Florida, on March 15, and was expected back on Sunday, the Coast Guard said in a previous news release.
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The National Park Service searched for Soltis without success before requesting assistance from the Coast Guard on Monday night. The Coast Guard said it was conducting a first-light search by helicopter on Tuesday morning.
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