BIG LAKE, Mo. — Searchers have discovered the body of a missing Missouri Highway Patrol trooper who was swept away by Missouri River flood waters last summer.
On Thursday afternoon, searchers found the body of Trooper Fred Guthrie near their original search sight in a field that was flooded by the river last summer. According to authorities, Guthrie’s body was found in a brush pile near the area where the body of his K-9 partner, who was also swept away by the flood waters, was found shortly after the two had disappeared on August 1.
Guthrie and his K-9, Reed, were patrolling a flooded area near Big Lake on Missouri 118 and Missouri 111 highways in Holt County when they were swept away by swift-running flood waters.
“The recovery of Trooper Guthrie’s body will give closure and comfort to the family, community, and members of the Patrol,” said Col. Ronald K. Replogle of the Missouri Highway Patrol in a statement. “I would also like to thank everyone who helped or volunteered during the search efforts.”
“The law enforcement officers of Missouri put their lives on the line each day to protect us, and we saw that on countless occasions in the past year during times of natural disaster,” Gov. Jay Nixon said in a statement. “Trooper Fred Guthrie made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the people of Missouri, protecting them during the historic flooding that ravaged the northwest part of our state. We honor the memory of this courageous law enforcement officer, and our prayers are with his family, friends and colleagues as they mourn his loss. My thanks to the Highway Patrol and the other law enforcement agencies that were involved for all their efforts since August 1 to recover their fallen brother.”
Guthrie joined the then Missouri State Water Patrol on January 2, 1994, as a member of its 26th Recruit Class. He transitioned to trooper with the merger to the Highway Patrol on January 1, 2011, where he was assigned to Troop A serving Platte County.
He is survived by his wife, Teresa, and three children.