Virgin Islands National Park staff continued its search Friday for 48-year-old Lucy Schuhmann, a visitor from Kentucky who has been missing from St. John for more than a week.
In its Friday update, the NPS said it has received an outpouring of support from across the country for its efforts to find Schumann.
Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett thanked the local government and law enforcement, volunteers and especially the National Park Service “who continue to make finding Lucy Schuhmann a priority.”
“I’m grateful for the diligence and care that our National Parks team on St. John have demonstrated,” she continued. “Our office will continue to support the team and are praying for Lucy and her family.”
Park staff are being assisted by technical climbing experts from other NPS units. Island volunteers were deployed this morning with NPS staff and St. John Rescue to continue searching the trails and roadsides on the south shore of St. John island.
Safety, preparation and deploying technically trained staff are at the forefront of park leadership, the news release said. At the Friday morning briefing, Park Superintendent Nigel Fields shared that Schumann’s family wanted the team to know that the woman’s first priority would be for the safety of the persons who are looking for her.
She was reported missing on Sept. 19 by the proprietor of the vacation rental where she was staying in Coral Bay on St. John.
The Park Service asks that the public refrain from visiting the Salt Pond area while the search is ongoing.
The NPS urged anyone with information they believe will assist in the search to call 866-995-8467, option 2. The NPS Investigative Services Branch joined the investigation and published a missing person sheet online.
