On a quiet Monday morning in Wildwood, Missouri, Carol Schulte — a 72-year-old woman who knew the trails well — set out alone and did not return. What followed was a vast communal effort to find her, drawing strangers with dogs and drones into the woods along the Meramec River, each one moved by the ancient human impulse to bring someone home. A body recovered from the river is believed to be hers, though the full truth of what happened on that trail remains, for now, beyond reach.
Body Found in Meramec River Believed to Be Missing 72-Year-Old Hiker
72-year-old experienced hiker Carol Schulte went missing during a solo hike and was found deceased in the Meramec River; cause of death undetermined.
It would have been nice to get some closure
Mark
Why does a search like this one mobilize so many people so quickly?
Mimi
Because when someone vanishes, especially someone older, the community feels the weight of it. You don't know if minutes matter. You don't know if she's hurt and waiting. So everyone shows up.
Mark
The stepson said he wanted closure. What does that word mean in a situation like this?
Mimi
It means knowing what happened. Right now they have a body but no story. They have loss but no explanation. That uncertainty is its own kind of pain.
Mark
She was an experienced hiker. Does that make it harder to understand?
Mimi
Yes. It suggests this wasn't carelessness or inexperience. It was something else—something sudden, something unexpected. That makes it feel more fragile. If it could happen to her, it could happen to anyone.
Mark
The phone turned off at 7 a.m. What does that tell us?
Mimi
That something happened early. That the trail was probably quiet. That no one was there to see it or help. That's the loneliness of it.
Mark
What happens now for the family?
Mimi
They wait for the autopsy. They wait for answers that might not come. They try to understand why someone they loved went out for a walk and didn't come back.
Le Pouls
- A 72-year-old experienced hiker vanished mid-morning, her phone going silent at 7 a.m. near the Al Foster Memorial Trailhead — the last digital trace of a woman who knew these woods.
- Over 150 volunteers, tracking dogs, a helicopter, and drones converged on five miles of trail, strangers showing up simply because someone was missing and that felt like enough reason.
- By early afternoon, ground efforts were suspended without answers, leaving Carol's stepson Greg to stand before cameras and describe the particular anguish of not knowing what to do next.
- Around 4 p.m., Jefferson County deputies recovered a body from the Meramec River, believed to be Carol Schulte — no obvious injuries, no confirmed cause of death, no official identification yet.
- A family that came searching for closure now waits in a harder place — where the search has ended but the questions have not.
On a quiet Monday morning in Wildwood, Missouri, Carol Schulte — a 72-year-old woman who knew the trails well — set out alone and did not return. What followed was a vast communal effort to find her, drawing strangers with dogs and drones into the woods along the Meramec River, each one moved by the ancient human impulse to bring someone home. A body recovered from the river is believed to be hers, though the full truth of what happened on that trail remains, for now, beyond reach.
Carol Schulte, 72, left for a solo hike near Wildwood, Missouri on a Monday morning, parking her minivan at Glencoe State Park before heading toward the Al Foster Memorial Trailhead. Her phone last pinged near that location around 7 a.m. She did not come home.
By Tuesday, the search had become something larger than any single agency could contain. More than 150 volunteers and first responders spread across five miles of trail, joined by trained tracking dogs, a helicopter, drones, and a local hiking group that organized its own effort. Among them was Laura Thake, a stranger who brought her dog Gus. "Even though I don't know her," she said, "I feel like I should be here to try to assist."
Ground efforts were called off around 1:30 p.m. without resolution. Carol's stepson Greg spoke to reporters, grateful for the response but hollowed out by the uncertainty. "It's very unsettling," he said, struggling to name what comes next when a search ends and answers haven't arrived.
Less than three hours later, Jefferson County deputies found a body in the Meramec River. Authorities believed it was Carol Schulte. There were no obvious injuries. The cause of death remained undetermined, and formal identification was still pending. What exactly unfolded on that trail — a fall, disorientation, something else entirely — was not yet known, leaving a family to wait for answers that may only ever be partial.
Carol Schulte set out for a hike Monday morning near Wildwood, Missouri. The 72-year-old woman, described by her family as an experienced outdoorswoman, parked her minivan at Glencoe State Park and headed toward the Al Foster Memorial Trailhead. Her phone pinged near that location around 7 a.m., then went dark. She never came home.
By Tuesday, the search had grown into something massive. More than 150 volunteers and first responders fanned out across the five-mile trail that winds through the Glencoe community near Grand Avenue and Washington Avenue. They brought dogs trained to track missing people. They sent up a helicopter. They deployed drones to scan the terrain from above. A local hiking group organized its own search party. Laura Thake, a stranger to Schulte, brought her dog Gus and joined the effort. "Even though I don't know her, I feel like I should be here to try to assist," she said.
The search continued through the day. Around 1:30 p.m., authorities called off the ground efforts for the day. Greg Schulte, one of Carol's stepsons, stood before reporters and tried to articulate what the family was feeling. They were grateful for the response, he said, but the lack of answers was eating at them. "It's very unsettling," he said. "It would have been nice to get some closure or some direction on what to do. And then now it's just not sure what to do. What are the next steps and how do we find a way to get closure on this? Yes, very, very troubling right now."
That same day, deputies from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office found a body in the Meramec River around 4 p.m. Authorities believed it was Carol Schulte. She was 5 foot 4 inches tall and weighed 128 pounds. The body showed no obvious injuries. The exact cause of death had not been determined, and the official identification was still pending.
What happened on that trail remains unclear. Whether she fell, whether she became disoriented, whether something else occurred—those answers were not yet available. The family had come looking for closure and instead found themselves waiting for answers that might never fully come.
Citations marquantes
Even though I don't know her, I feel like I should be here to try to assist— Laura Thake, search volunteer
It's very unsettling. It would have been nice to get some closure or some direction on what to do.— Greg Schulte, Carol's stepson
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Crime & Justice