Missing Pilot Story
 

Have you guys read about this?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090114/...ash_mystery_65

Can't say I know the guy personally, but I see him out on the water or at his house every time I'm on the boat. His house sits on the water around our "Cocktail Cove" which I frequent... oh... EVERY SUMMER DAY!!! He's quite a jerk, and now quite a criminal. I couldn't believe what this guy did, and how it made such a national news story.

Cliff's Notes version - 38 year old investor was under investigation for the 3 companies he owned (fraud, deceit, etc.), his step father passed away last week, his wife filed for divorce on Sunday, there was a judgment he lost for $500k+ last Friday, etc. all added up to something he couldn't take anymore. So he jumps into one of his million dollar planes and flies south. Over Alabama, he sends a fake distress call about his windshield imploding, and jumps from the plane. The plane crashes in Florida, short of the Gulf like they think he was trying. Luckily, no one was killed! He hops on a motorcycle he had stored there a couple days before, and takes off. They found him last night/this morning with a slit wrist.

I've heard stories where the lessor of a business raised his lease rates, so he untied the guys boat in the middle of the night. They found it over the dam the next day! He also had an argument with a neighbor, and when they went out of town, Marc went over and drained their pool!!! He doesn't have many friends on the lake, other than a few neighbors that still like him somehow and the friends he basically "bought".

I won't pass judgment since I don't really know him, but from the stories I'd say he's one heck of an a__hole. I guess the wife was CFO of one of the companies as well, so she's probably involved too. Sad thing is, they have 3 innocent, young kids that just had their lives completely flipped around.

I read that story in this morning's paper. They also mentioned that it was a police officer who picked him up after he was found walking soaking wet along a road and took him to a nearby motel. The story said the guy told the cop he fell out of his canoe. The cop had even seen his drivers licence but apparently information doesnt move too quickly in 'bama and the cop didn't know who he had in the car!

Yeah, I heard the cop picked him up at about 9:15 PM, the exact same time the plane crashed. He made the distress call an hour or two before that. But, I don't question the law or investigators. It's difficult to spread all that info to everyone, under the circumstances and info they had at the time. Once the plane crashed and was found, his name and photo were all over the media and police agencies.

I forgot to mention... here's a photo of his house. See the floating trampoline at the far right? A couple years ago, after just building the house and buying the boat and trampoline, he towed it behind his boat throughout Cocktail Cove on a busy Saturday. He got ticked and yelled at any adults trying to swim over and jump on it. So what was the point in towing it around the crowded cove? He's definitely a materialistic show-off! But how could you "show off" what's not even yours (most of his $$ was stolen!)? It is a nice 26' Rinker, though. Had DVD screens and stereo all over it.

I'm waiting for the Sheriff's sale on that house!

We had a guy do something similar up here a number of years ago. He flew out of Hamilton 'International' airport and was heading to Toronto Island airport. As he got over Hamilton harbour & the west end of Lake Ontario he radioed in that he was flying thru a heavy snowsquall and all of a sudden a seagull came crashing thru the windshield and shortly afterward he radioed he was going down. The plane went down (allegedly) somewhere in the lake just off of Burlington / Oakville but if i remember correctly it's never been found. The reports came out a couple of days later that he was going thru a business failure and his wife was divorcing him and then a while later someone claimed they had seen him in the US. I dont think they've ever recovered the plane or located the guy.