Airlift Assists Missing Hessel Man

After he was reported missing May 1, Jennings Francis "Buggs" Couture of Hessel was found and air-lifted to Sault Ste. Marie for medical treatment May 2.

Mr. Couture, 67, went for a drive Tuesday afternoon, May 1. Family members began to worry when he didn't return by 7:30 p.m. and started searching for him. They called 9-1-1 around 10:30 p.m., and the Mackinac County Sheriff's Department responded to the call. Since Mr. Couture had not been missing yet for 24 hours, the department could not issue a missing person's report. A "Be On the Lookout" bulletin was issued through Negaunee Regional Dispatch.

The Mackinac County Sheriff's Department assisted in a search the following morning. The United States Coast Guard also launched a Dolphin rescue helicopter from Air Station Traverse City at 11:15 a.m. At 2:42 p.m., the helicopter's flight mechanic spotted Mr. Couture on the ground near Hessel, waving a stick. The crew transported him to Sanderson Airport in Sault Ste. Marie, where he was transferred to a waiting ambulance.

Mr. Couture had been driving around the Bay City Lake State Forest recreation area when his pick-up truck got stuck in the mud, the Coast Guard reported. Unable to free the vehicle, he started walking along the trail to get assistance, but collapsed a short distance from the vehicle.