Man dies of exposure after falling into creek

Officers from the Wilmington Police Department were called to the 1500 block of Charlotte Street Wednesday evening to check on a vehicle that had run off of the road near Deer Creek.
When they arrived, they found a 2005 GMC SUV unoccupied at the dead end of Charlotte St., resting against the concrete bridge support there. The vehicle was closed with no keys in it.
Sgt. Adam Zink began a check of the area and found the owner of the vehicle, Melvin D. Von Kaenel (67, recently of Wilmington) lying in the creek just east of the bridge. Sgt. Zink radioed for an ambulance and descended into the creek to render aid. When he reached the body it was obvious that Mr. Von Kaenel had been deceased for an extended amount of time.
While on the scene, Mr. Von Kaenel’s family called to report him missing. Mr. Von Kaenel left his home on Derby Court Tuesday evening just before 10 p.m. and had not returned home; family members thought that he had stayed with his girlfriend but after contacting her found that he hadn’t. They then called the police to report him missing.
Further investigation revealed that it appears that after getting stuck at the dead end Mr. Von Kaenel exited his vehicle and started to walk, falling down the embankment and into the creek where he was found. Investigators found no signs of foul play at the scene.
An autopsy was performed Thursday morning, and although toxicology results are still pending, the cause of death appears to be hypothermia.