[6] Prior to January 2009, Schrenker lived with his wife and three children in a $1 million waterfront house in Geist, a wealthy suburb of Indianapolis.
[12][13] The next day, his Indiana state financial advisor license expired,[14] and all three of his companies were searched under a warrant related to ongoing investigations.
[11] At the beginning of January, the Indiana Department of Insurance filed a motion to revoke the license of Schrenker and Heritage and fine them, "citing a string of complaints from clients, some charging that he forged signatures and withdrew investment money causing large surrender penalties".
[4] At least eight lawsuits had been filed against Schrenker in the ten years leading up to the events of January 2009, including slander, interfering with a business relationship, and failing to pay a contractor who worked on one of his homes.
[10] On January 10, 2009, Schrenker traveled to Harpersville, Alabama, in a pickup truck carrying a red Yamaha motorcycle with saddlebags containing money and supplies.
[14] On January 11, 2009, Schrenker departed in his turboprop single-engine Piper Meridian (tail number N428DC) from an airfield in Anderson, Indiana, scheduled to fly to Destin, Florida.
[17] Near Birmingham, Alabama, he made a distress call, telling air traffic control that his windshield had imploded and he was "bleeding profusely.
[19] On board the aircraft they found a United States atlas and a national campground directory, both of which had the Florida and Alabama sections torn out.
[4][21] Without offering his name, he told the owners of the grounds that he was traveling cross country with friends, using cash to purchase a one-night tent site, firewood, and a six pack of Bud Light Lime.
[21] On January 12, Schrenker emailed neighbor and friend Tom Britt, stating the crash was "a misunderstanding" and that he had checked into the motel because he was "embarrassed and scared" of returning home.
"[20] He was in a "very incoherent state" and had lost massive amounts of blood by the time authorities first arrived, but paramedics were able to control his bleeding and he was flown to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.