A 72-year-old Jefferson County man who had been reported missing April 29 was found dead near Mapaville on May 1 after someone who was looking for him found him inside his pickup, which had been involved in a crash.
Mark Alan Edelmann was found in the wrecked 2013 Ford F-150 pickup truck at 6:45 p.m. May 1 in the 10000 block of Buckeye Road, which is near Plass Road and Hwy. A, according to reports from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
The highway patrol reported that at 8 a.m. April 29, Edelmann was driving the pickup north on Buckeye Road, traveling too fast for road conditions, and the truck ran off the right side of the road. The pickup struck a tree and then slid north on the road, striking another tree and coming to rest off the right side of the road in a creek.
Edelmann was pronounced dead at 6:56 p.m. May 1 by Mapaville Fire Protection District staff. His body was taken to the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office.
He was not wearing a seat belt, the patrol reported.
The pickup was totaled, the report said.
Authorities issued a silver advisory the morning of May 1 asking for the public’s help to find Edelmann, who was last seen at about 7:45 a.m. April 29 leaving the Circle K gas station, 10201 Business 21, near highways 21 and A in Hillsboro, authorities said.
Edelmann was seen driving the pickup south on Hwy. 21 toward Hillsboro. The Sheriff’s Office reported that Edelmann had difficulty seeing and hearing and left his glasses, hearing aids and phone at his home. The Sheriff’s Office also reported that Edelmann could have been disoriented or confused.
Grant Bissell, spokesperson for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, said Edelmann was found just a few miles from his home.