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Harold Hoyt was reported missing by a friend on Friday, March 31 after his truck had a flat tire, got stuck, and then ran out of gas in Sullivan County near the Camp Turrell Boy Scout Reservation on Galligan Road in the town of Forestburgh.
Hoyt’s friend made make it to a nearby road but Hoyt apparently became lost in the woods, the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office said.
After an exhaustive search using ATVs, UTVs, drones, K-9 teams, and a state police helicopter, search, and rescue teams were directed to a “search grid” in a marsh where Harold Hoyt’s cell phone may have passed through on Friday, April 7, the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office said.
Rescuers cut a path through the marsh using chainsaws after a body was spotted in heavy vegetation.
At about 3:30 p.m. Friday, the Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Hoyt had been found. He was pronounced dead by Sullivan County Coroner Alan Kesten.
After the State Police Forensic Investigation Unit examined the scene, Hoyt’s body was removed to the morgue pending an autopsy.
Hoyt lived in the Sullivan County hamlet of Glen Spey with his girlfriend.
“This is a really sad time for the family”, said Sullivan County Sheriff Mike Schiff. “They waited patiently at the scene the entire time, hoping for any news. Unfortunately, it ended tragically."
Schiff thanked all federal, state, and local agencies who assisted in the search.
The investigation is continuing.
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