Body of missing Baltic-area man found in Tuscarawas River on Tuesday morning
PORT WASHINGTON — Searchers have found a 25-year-old man who went missing after a canoe capsized in the Tuscarawas River on Saturday morning.
Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell said a Christian ministry group found the body of Keith Edward Schlabach on Tuesday morning. His office was notified at 9:31 a.m.
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The Amish man's body was found floating just northeast of the River Hill Road SE bridge over the river, according to Campbell. The bridge is east of the Port Washington village limits in Salem Township. River Hill Road is the continuation of Port Washington's St. Clairsville Road.
Schlabach was reported missing by a 27-year-old man from the Sugarcreek. Both men had been in the canoe when it turned over near Fillman's Bottom Road.
The 27-year-old was able to get ashore and call 911, but he lost sight of Schlabach.
Schlabach was found by members of Search & Rescue Team, a program of Christian Aid Ministries, based in Berlin.
Marcus Miller, state coordinator for the Ohio Search & Rescue Team, said the group provides a free service to help public agencies search for missing people on land and water. It has been active since 2016.
"It's a ministry," Miller said. "We're here to assist in any way we can to not only assist them in locating the subject, but be a chaplain support and be there for the family as well. A lot of our individuals are actually related, or have connections to, the Amish community."
He said Search & Rescue started working in the area shortly after Schlabach was reported missing. He said the river's current was swift, and presented a challenge. The crew searched only during daylight hours, he said.
Miller said Schlabach's family and other members of the Amish community staffed bridges, light towers and brought food for the searchers.
The team received praise from Scott Stauffer, natural resources lieutenant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources office in Mogadore.
"For a volunteer group, they're top-notch," he said. "Kudos to them ... to come out here with all their boats and equipment, and just be here with the family and for the family."
Search & Rescue serves as an intermediary between families and emergency crews, according to Miller.
"The goal is to assist the family," he said. "Many times, there's a lot of stuff going on, and the family can be moved aside" while police and firefighters work.
Campbell said it was important for Schlabach's family to have his body returned to them so they could have closure.
"The Amish have some very specific beliefs when it comes to burial and not finding the body would have been very tragic for them," the sheriff said.
Firefighters, employees of the sheriff's office and Tuscarawas County Coroner Dr. Jeff Cameron also at the scene Tuesday.
The coroner's office will decide whether an autopsy will be performed.
Campbell said Schlabach was wearing jeans and a hooded sweatshirt.
Reach Nancy at 330-364-8402 or nancy.molnar@timesreporter.com.
On Twitter: @nmolnarTR
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Christian search and rescue group find body of missing boater, 25
