Canoe, Candle, and Twelve Minutes: How a Widow Outsmarted Death

Canoe, Candle, and Twelve Minutes: How a Widow Outsmarted Death The cold will steal your fingers in twelve minutes - but not your mind: a 61-year-old retired teacher paddled alone, survived a 12-minute immersion in 46°F water, then left an impossible message-an unlit birthday candle standing upright on an overturned canoe eleven miles from the nearest boat launch. Who arranged the candle so precisely, and why would a single unlit candle become the clue that saved a life? In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the morning a utility worker found the canoe and candle to the two-day search and the navigational logic that led to a rescue, asking how preparation, training, and one small object changed everything. Person: Dawn Long Date: April 25, 2017 Location: Route Nine culvert, central Missouri (Sable Creek area) Duration in water: 12 minutes Temperature of water: 46°F - Dawn Long launched at Greer Crossing at 4:15 PM on Friday, April 21. - The canoe was found overturned with a single white birthday candle at 8:47 AM on Tuesday, April 25. - The canoe was located eleven miles from the nearest public boat launch. - Dawn had paddled a 14-mile stretch between Greer Crossing and Boyden Bridge and lost her paddle and map case in the incident. - Melvin Sheridan photographed the candle from about 40 feet away and called the Howell County Sheriff's Office at 8:47 AM. Tired of ads? Listen to this podcast and 200+ more ad-free on OBOMEDIA. Try it free for 7 days, cancel anytime: https://obomedia.com/en/gratis?ref=desc-7194395 © 2026 Created by an independent creator of the OBOMEDIA Network. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the property of their respective creator, who is solely responsible for them, and are distributed by the OBOMEDIA Network on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without the creator's prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].