Two men were in the canoe: One was rescued by a passing boat

Staff report

BAZETTA TOWNSHIP

Crews planned to resume their search at 8:30 a.m. today for a man reported missing early Sunday after the canoe carrying him and a companion capsized in the middle of Mosquito Lake.

The command site is the boat launch where state Route 305 dead-ends into the east side of the lake.

The surviving companion, whose identity officials did not release, was rescued by a passing boater. He was wearing a life jacket and refused treatment at the scene.

The missing man, identified as John Schuster, 51, of the Youngstown area, was not wearing a life jacket, said Bazetta Township Fire Chief Dennis Lewis, who said cadaver dogs may be brought in to help in the search.

The canoe, which Lewis described as yellow, was reported by boaters to have capsized at 10:24 a.m. Sunday. The search for Schuster was called off at 4 p.m. Sunday because of high winds that made the lake choppy and unsafe for searchers.

Schuster was last seen wearing blue jeans and a baseball hat, according to 21 WFMJ-TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner.

The search involved about a dozen agencies, including area fire departments and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District and Ohio Department of Natural Resources using sonar, said Lewis.

Lewis said officials recovered the canoe and some other personal items of the men.