- December 23, 2025
On Friday, deputies with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office were commended as heroes after saving the life of a missing elderly man.
On Monday, December 15, family members reported Allyn Schmidt, 72, of Palm Coast missing and endangered. A silver alert was issued and deputies searched diligently for four days, interviewing local businesses and canvassing the areas Schmidt frequents.
Around noon on Friday, a caller reported an abandoned vehicle in a remote area of the woods near North Old Dixie Highway and near the St. Johns County line. Recognizing the vehicle belonged to Schmidt, deputies searched the woods on foot in the hope of locating him.
FCSO deputies quickly located Schmidt 50 yards from his vehicle. He was unconscious but clinging to life. He had apparently fallen against a tree, with his neck caught against its trunk, reducing his ability to breathe. Deputies believe that he had been stuck in that position without food or water for several days in temperatures as low as 43 degrees Fahrenheit.
Due to the remote area in which he was located, medical personnel were unable to reach Schmidt and the deputies by ambulance. FCSO deputies decided to carry the unconscious man to his vehicle and drive him out of the woods in his own car.
Upon reaching the roadway, Schmidt was evaluated by Flagler County Fire Rescue paramedics and then transferred to an ambulance. Schmidt was brought by ambulance to a landing zone in St. Johns County where he was taken by Trauma One to an area hospital for treatment.
“A citizen that ‘saw something and said something’ along with quick thinking and resourcefulness of our deputies, without a doubt, saved this man’s life,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “By using the victim’s car to transport him to paramedics, they saved minutes when seconds mattered. Ingenuity cannot be trained; I am proud to have deputies at the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office whose instincts are to act heroically in unforeseeable circumstances. I also thank the citizen that called to report a ‘suspicious vehicle.’”
Schmidt is expected to fully recover from this incident.
