MILLERSBURG, Mo. - The body of a 74-year-old man who went missing near Little Dixie Lake was found Tuesday evening, according to Callaway County Sheriff Clay Chism.
"Now (the family) can further the closure process," he said.
Jerry Kinman, who had Parkinson's disease, called his wife in the early hours of Saturday morning to say he'd fallen while fishing, Chism said. The former Arizona resident often fished at the lake.
Callaway County Joint Communications received a call around 6:45 p.m. Tuesday regarding a found body near County Road 228. The body was identified as that of Kinman.
Chism said there were no obvious signs of trauma on the body, and Kinman appeared to have been deceased for some time.
"It was the outcome we feared," he said. "The weather wasn't working in his favor or ours."
No foul play is suspected, but an autopsy is planned for today at Boone-Callaway County Medical Examiner's Office.
One of the volunteer searchers riding an all-terrain vehicle located Kinman, Chism said during a Tuesday night press conference. Kinman was a significant distance from his home, about 100 yards from the roadway and not on an established trail.
"He was found in a thicket area where you could be 5 feet from him and not even realize he was there," Chism said. "If that community member had been 2 or 3 feet further away, he would never have seen him."
He added Kinman's cellphone was recovered with his body.
Since Saturday, agencies including the sheriff's department, Missouri Task Force One, Missouri Department of Conservation and Missouri Highway Patrol troopers, plus a community volunteer had conducted an extensive search. Initially focused on the Little Dixie Lake Conservation Area, the search radius eventually expanded to include the outlying Millersburg area.
Monday night, 17 volunteers gathered at the lake to help search, local resident Tim Flanner said early Tuesday.
"There have been people all day today (too)," he said.
One volunteer even rode the trails on horseback, Flanner added, though the heat proved challenging. One searcher had to be escorted back to their vehicle after suffering medical distress.
Family reacts
Chism said Tuesday evening that Kinman's family had asked him to act as their spokesperson.
"They didn't want to miss the opportunity to thank the community," he said.
He praised how the community rallied to help find Kinman.
"This has just been another example of how a small, rural community comes together," Chism added. "People from all walks of their lives came to offer their time and equipment."
Kinman and his wife moved to Millersburg about six months ago, a few years after his retirement as a Baptist minister.
"He'd really left a mark on the community in the short time he was here," Chism said. "It's a tough day for the Millersburg community."