A 42-year-old Washington, Mo., man who had been reported missing was found Tuesday (June 25) in the Young Conservation Area, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Grant Bissell said.
He said the Sheriff’s Office got a call at about noon Tuesday from people in the conservation area, off Hwy. FF about five miles south of Eureka, who reported seeing a man who appeared to need medical attention.
The man was in critical condition and transported to an area hospital, Bissell said.
The Sheriff’s Office began looking for the man after a female friend contacted them at about 6 p.m. Monday (June 24) and told authorities the man was upset and making suicidal statements. She told deputies the man’s last location, to her knowledge, was in the conservation area, Bissell said.
The conservation area was searched by Sheriff’s Office deputies and the department’s bloodhound, Zeus, along with the Eureka Fire Protection District’s search-and-rescue team and a St. Louis County Police helicopter. At one point, Zeus detected the man’s scent, but the dog lost it near a creek, Bissell said.
Authorities were unable to locate the man before having to call off the search at about 9 p.m. because of darkness, Bissell said.
The woman told the Sheriff’s Office the man had texted her throughout the night, before his cell phone battery likely ran out of power. Bissell said authorities were unable to track the phone because of the spent battery.
When the man was located Tuesday, there were no signs he had suffered a physical injury, but he was having trouble breathing, Bissell said.