Authorities in northwest Missouri say they have found what they are calling ‘items of interest’ in the search for missing Missouri Highway Patrol Trooper Fred Guthrie, Jr.
Guthrie, along with his K-9 partner, disappeared in Missouri River flood waters while on patrol near in August. The dog was found dead a few days later, but Guthrie’s body hasn’t been seen since.
On Thursday, police said that they found the items in a formerly flooded area near Big Lake.
“We’ve had cadaver dogs in today,” said Col. Ronald Replogle of the Missouri Highway Patrol. “They will dig for a certain period of time, then they will stop the operation, get everybody out of the area, bring the dogs back in and let them do their search again. And they’ve been down in the hole several times today.”
The cadaver dogs indicated dozens of hits where searchers were concentrating their efforts. The hits were indicated with white flags around the hole where searchers think Guthrie might have gone in.
Guthrie, a veteran trooper with the Water Patrol, was declared legally dead by a judge in September.
