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Published in The Rolla Daily News - January 13, 2012
Rolla, Mo. — Missing Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper Fred Guthrie Jr's body was found Thursday ending a months-long recovery effort involving hundreds of volunteers and thousands of man hours.
Troopers located Guthrie's remains in a brush pile close to where he went missing. Officers were at the site watching for any signs of the missing trooper while Hill Brothers Construction, Inc., a contractor with Missouri Department of Transportation, continued construction at the scene. The contractor is responsible for filling in the scour hole dug early on during the search efforts.
Guthrie and his K-9 partner Reed disappeared on August 1 while working flood duty in the backwaters of the Missouri River near Big Lake. Troopers found Guthrie's patrol truck with the engine still running and a boat on the trailer in tow.
Reed's body was found the next day approximately 100 yards from the trooper's truck and patrol boat. He was found after a Black Hawk helicopter dropped sandbags where the flood waters met Highway 118 and diverted the swift currents.
More than a dozen Water Division troopers from Lake of the Ozarks aided in the search for Guthrie in the weeks and months that followed, but there was no sign of Guthrie.
A judge legally declared Guthrie dead in September.
At the family's request, memorial services were held in December to allow the healing process to begin for both themselves, Guthrie's Water Patrol family and law enforcement officials across the state. The Liberty, Mo., service drew hundreds in attendance including Gov. Jay Nixon and first responders across the Midwest, and thousands more online where it was streamed live.
Guthrie was a 17-year veteran of the former Missouri State Water Patrol and Missouri State Highway Patrol Water Patrol Division. In 2008, he received the state Medal of Valor for rescuing a woman who was thrown from her boat during a thunderstorm and was clinging to a buoy.
K-9 officer Reed was a five-year veteran with the Water Patrol division.
Guthrie, 46, leaves behind wife Teresa and three children: Amber, Dylan and Cody.
Published in the Blue Springs Examiner - January 12, 2012
Holt County, Mo. — The body of a Missouri state trooper who died during last summer’s flooding on the Missouri River has been recovered. The body was found not far from where his canine partner’s body had been found.
On Aug. 1, Trooper Fred Guthrie Jr. and his partner, K-9 Reed, were working in the Big Lake area at Highways 118 and 111 in Holt County when both apparently were swept away by floodwaters. The next day, the body of K-9 Reed was found about 100 yards from where Guthrie’s truck and boat had been located.
Officials had searched for Guthrie since then, including an extensive search in November of the area where the body was found today. A state contractor is making repairs to Highway 111, and Highway Patrol has had troopers at the construction watching for signs of Guthrie’s remains.
Guthrie joined the Missouri State Water Patrol in 1994 and became a state trooper when the Water Patrol was folded into the Missouri State Highway Patrol last year. He served 17 years with the two agencies. K-9 Reed served five years.
Guthrie, a native of Knob Noster, Mo., leaves behind his wife, Teresa and three children, Amber, Dylan and Cody. He is the 30th state trooper to die in the line of duty.
Published in The Republic - December 29, 2011
BIG LAKE, Mo. — More than 80 people have taken part in a "hand-in-hand" search for the body of a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper who disappeared amid flooding in early August.
Trooper Fred Guthrie Jr. was declared dead in September.
The St. Joseph News-Press reports the searchers combed farm fields Wednesday south of the village of Big Lake in northwest Missouri.
Guthrie was performing flood duty in the area when he and his dog, Reed, disappeared Aug. 1. The dog's remains were found the next day.
Patrol Sgt. Sheldon Lyon says the search for Guthrie's body was scheduled for Wednesday only, but more searches could happen later.
A funeral and memorial service for the trooper were held earlier this month.
Published in The Kansas City Star - December 14, 2011
Hundreds of family members, friends and fellow officers gathered on a rainy Wednesday morning inside a church in Liberty to remember Missouri Highway Patrol Trooper Frederick F. Guthrie Jr., who along with his patrol dog, was swept away by floodwaters in August.
They were there to remember him as a husband, father, uncle, fellow law enforcement officer and decorated hero.
“Fred is gone, but he will never be forgotten,” said Sgt. Collin Stosberg, a spokesman for the Missouri Highway Patrol.
Guthrie and his patrol dog, Reed, were working near Big Lake in Holt County on Aug. 1 when they vanished. Reed’s body was found the next day about 100 yards from Guthrie’s patrol truck and boat.
“It has been a long couple months. We still haven’t located him and we are going to continue to search for him,” Stosberg said. “This service will certainly be one to celebrate his life and all the great things he has done.”
The parking lot of the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church revealed that Guthrie’s funeral wasn’t a typical service. Law enforcement officers, including members of 11 state policing agencies in the Midwest, streamed into the church. A large American flag was suspended by fire trucks from the Kansas City Fire Department and Southern Platte Fire Protection District.
A few officers also carried baskets filled with yellow tennis balls into the church.
Guthrie had used tennis balls to train Reed.
The 46-year-old Guthrie was a combined 17-year veteran of the former Missouri State Water Patrol and Missouri Highway Patrol. Guthrie, who was assigned to the Highway Patrol’s water division, most recently served in Troop A in Platte County. He was awarded a state Medal of Valor for his 2007 rescue of a woman who was clinging to a buoy in Smithville Lake after being thrown from her boat in a heavy thunderstorm.
He was the 30th member of the Highway Patrol to die in the line of duty.
“We are gathered to remember and to honor a man who was a loving husband, a father, a brother and a son,” said Gov. Jay Nixon. “And a dedicated and a courageous member of Missouri’s law enforcement family.”
Nixon recalled meeting Guthrie about 11/2 years ago when they toured the state talking about the merger of the water and highway patrols.
“I wanted the people of Missouri to hear about and to see some of men and women from both agencies who had distinguished themselves above and beyond the call of duty and protected the citizens of our great state,” he said. “In short, we wanted the people of Missouri to meet some of the heroes out there on our highways and waterways.”
Guthrie’s name was the first one brought to Nixon because of the courage he showed in rescuing the woman on Smithville Lake.
“Fred exemplified all that’s courageous and honorable about those who proudly serve in the Water Patrol and the Highway Patrol,” Nixon said.
Retired Capt. Bill Cox recalled that Guthrie was a “go to” officer — highly motivated and conscientious. His latest passion was as a K-9 officer. Cox said that Guthrie and Reed developed a true bonding that made them an outstanding K-9 team.
“We all lost a friend — a true friend,” Cox said. “One of the best anyone could have.”
After the service, many of the law enforcement officers joined a procession that traveled nearly 80 miles to the Knob Noster Cemetery in Knob Noster. The procession, led by police motorcycles with emergency lights flashing, included Guthrie’s truck and boat.
He is survived by his wife, three children and his parents.
Published on Kansas City FOX 4 News - December 13, 2011
LIBERTY, Mo. — Months after a Missouri Highway Patrol Trooper disappeared without a trace, friends and family are saying farewell on Wednesday.
A funeral for Trooper Fred Guthrie was held on Wednesday at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Liberty. A visitation was held on Tuesday evening.
Guthrie disappeared while patrolling the waters near Big Lake on August 1, 2011. Guthrie’s patrol dog’s body was found the next day. Despite extensive searches, Trooper Guthrie’s body has never been found
Teresa Guthrie says the Missouri Highway Patrol has offered her family lots of support throughout the whole ordeal.
“I’ve always heard this is a family and it is when this happened they put their arms around me and it’s humbling the amount of support we’ve received,” said Teresa Guthrie.
Hundreds of family and friends turned out for Guthrie’s visitation in Liberty.
“Its just a testament of what Fred meant to the community. So many people have offered to step up and help and reach out and we’re all thankful for those thoughts and prayers,” said Sgt. Collin Stosberg of the Missouri Highway Patrol.
Published on Lake News Online - December 7, 2011
Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. — A public visitation service and funeral has been scheduled for next week for a missing Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper. A funeral and memorial for Water Division trooper Fred Guthrie Jr and K-9 partner Reed will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14, at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Liberty, Mo. A funeral procession to the Knob Noster Cemetery in Knob Noster, Mo., will follow.
Visitation for Guthrie will be held the night before from 5-8 p.m. also at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Liberty.
Guthrie and his K-9 partner Reed disappeared on August 1 while working flood duty in the backwaters of the Missouri River near Big Lake. Troopers found Guthrie's patrol truck with the engine still running and a boat on the trailer in tow.
Reed's body was found a day after the trooper and K-9 officer went missing approximately 100 yards from the trooper's truck and patrol boat. He was found after a Black Hawk helicopter dropped sandbags where the flood waters met Highway 118 and diverted the swift currents.
More than a dozen Water Division troopers from Lake of the Ozarks aided in the search for Guthrie, but there has been no sign of the trooper's body. A judge legally declared Guthrie dead in September.
Officials say the search for Guthrie's body will continue.
Guthrie, 46, leaves behind wife Teresa and three children: Amber, Dylan and Cody. It was at his family's request that the memorial service be scheduled to allow the healing process to begin for both themselves and law enforcement officials across the state.
Guthrie was a 17-year veteran of the former Missouri State Water Patrol and Missouri State Highway Patrol Water Patrol Division. In 2008, he received the state Medal of Valor for rescuing a woman who was thrown from her boat during a thunderstorm and was clinging to a buoy.
K-9 officer Reed was a five-year veteran with the Water Patrol division.
Published in The Republic - November 06, 2011
BIG LAKE, Mo. — Crews have temporarily scaled back the search for a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper missing since heavy flooding hit northwest Missouri earlier this year.
Patrol spokesman Sgt. Sheldon Lyon told The St. Joseph News-Press that crews will resume their digging operation later this week and will continue until Trooper Fred Guthrie Jr. is found.
The search has been centered around an area near Big Lake, which is where the patrol believes Guthrie and his dog were swept away by floodwaters in August. Lyon said troopers had to change equipment Saturday, and that thunderstorms were also forecast, which could slow the search.
He said however that troopers will continue to pump water out of the four-acre hole they've been searching and that the full search will resume Tuesday or Wednesday.
Published on KMBC - November 5, 2011
MOUND CITY, Mo. -- Excavation crews said they planned to resume their search on Saturday for missing Missouri Highway Patrol trooper Fred Guthrie.
Teams have been digging in an area where dogs trained to sniff for cadavers indicated there was something unusual.
Troopers said they believe Guthrie got caught up in churning water that eventually created a giant crater where Highway 118 used to be near Mound City, Mo. The crater now covers nearly five acres.
Volunteers have been working to remove silt and water from the site. On Thursday, crews recovered an article of clothing that they sent for testing to see if it belonged to Guthrie.
Guthrie vanished in August while patrolling the area during heavy floods. The body of his K-9 partner was found the next day.
Published on KMOX - November 4, 2011
Searchers were hoping a piece of clothing found at Big Lake gets them closer to finding the body of a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper who disappeared while working near the flooded northwest Missouri lake three months ago.
The clothing was found Thursday near where trooper Fred Guthrie’s K-9 partner, Reed, was found Aug. 2, a day after the two were reported missing while working flood duty. Searchers on Friday were using backhoes and shovels to dig in and around a 4-acre hole at the lake in Holt County.
Additional heavy equipment supplied by a friend of Guthrie’s also was being brought in to help with the search.
“We’re continuing to dig in the area where cadaver dogs have indicated that there an odor of a human body,” Highway Patrol Sgt. Sheldon Lyon told The Associated Press on Friday. “The area that we’re searching is very near where Trooper Guthrie’s dog surfaced, and we feel that this is an area that holds good promise to recover the body.”
Guthrie, 46, of Platte City, was a 17-year veteran of the Highway Patrol’s Water Patrol Division, part of Troop A in Platte County.
Lyon said Guthrie’s duties while on flood control included hauling people to their flooded homes if they had an emergency, rescuing anyone who became stranded in the water and patrolling to make sure valuable farm equipment left by homeowners was not stolen or vandalized.
His still-running truck, with a trailer attached, was found on Missouri 118 northeast of Big Lake, part of the Missouri River flood plain that was covered in floodwaters in June. Residents of the small lake community and several tiny northwest Missouri communities were evacuated for several weeks in some cases, months after the swollen river left its banks because of record water releases from dams in upstream states.
Published in the St. Joseph News-Press - November 3, 2011
BIG LAKE, Mo. — An item possibly connected to missing Trooper Fred Guthrie Jr. was found by search crews Thursday morning.
Crews began digging in a four-acre hole at sunrise for Mr. Guthrie, who went missing Aug. 1 while working flood duty near Big Lake, Mo. The searchers are using backhoes and shovels to search the hole that was washed away by swift floodwaters, said Col. Ron Replogle, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
The body of Mr. Guthrie’s K-9 partner, Reed, was found on Aug. 2, just west of where Missouri Highways 118 and 111 meet. Mr. Replogle said searchers are focusing their efforts on the particular area where Reed resurfaced, as cadaver dogs have repeatedly indicated the scent of a body. It’s also the location where Missouri Highway 118 ends and where Mr. Guthrie’s still-running truck was found.
“It’s a good sign,” he said. “We’re confident we’re searching in the right area based on evidence we’ve found since Aug. 1.”
Early Thursday morning, Mr. Replogle said searchers found an “item of interest” and have sent it to the laboratory in Jefferson City to confirm whether it belongs to the trooper. Mr. Replogle declined to elaborate what the item was. However, a Facebook memorial page operated by Mr. Guthrie’s family said searchers found a piece of his shirt.
“Search efforts have increased due to the fact that a piece of Fred’s shirt has been found,” reads the page, “Prayers for Fred Guthrie & Family.”
Sgt. Sheldon Lyon, spokesman for the Patrol, said the item surfaced as searchers were digging by shovel.
Crews abandoned the search at dark Thursday, but will continue today at sunrise.
Mr. Lyon said they are conducting a “methodical” search by shovel in one particular spot, while heavy machinery is helping to reduce the amount of dirt in the area. Every so often, the searchers are called out of the pit while cadaver dogs again sniff out where they believe Mr. Guthrie’s body will be found.
Seepage from the water table continues to trickle back into the pit, even after pumps drained out nearly 30 feet of water since last Thursday, Mr. Lyon said.
One pump, loaned to the patrol by the city of St. Joseph, continues to keep the water levels low so troopers can continue their search.
In addition to fighting water, the elements of cold and wind and the enormity of the hole makes the search that much more difficult.
“When you look at it, you can see how much of a daunting task it is,” Mr. Lyon said.
The family of Mr. Guthrie has been at the search site since the day he went missing, and were present Thursday as crews began to dig. Mr. Replogle said the family is a major reason why they continue to exhaust all efforts to find the body.
“This is a very, very strong family. I’ve gotten to know them the last three months very well. Fred’s wife continues to amaze me with her strength and her grace,” he said. “ ... We definitely need to find closure for the family and for our agency. That’s why you see the efforts that we have here. Everything we’ve done here is to try to find Fred and give him a proper burial.”
Mr. Guthrie is a 17-year veteran of the patrol, beginning with the Missouri State Water Patrol before it combined with the Missouri State Highway Patrol last year. He was stationed in Troop A out of Lee’s Summit, but lived near Platte City, Mo., and coached football at West Platte R-II in Weston, Mo.
Donations can be made to Mr. Guthrie’s wife and three children to the Bank of Weston at P.O. Box 8, Weston, MO 64098, in care of the Guthrie Family Fund.
Published on NBC Action News - August 3, 2011
MOUND CITY, Missouri - The search for a missing member of the Missouri State Highway Patrol continues Wednesday and will go on until he is found.
The patrol says trooper Fred Guthrie, Jr., a member of the Water Patrol Division, was swept away in fast-moving floodwaters Monday swept away in fast-moving floodwaters as he was patrolling near Big Lake. His vehicle, with its boat still attached, was found with the door open Monday afternoon.
Searchers on Tuesday evening found the body of his K-9 Reed and the efforts to recover Guthrie’s body expanded Wednesday as daylight arrived.
More than two dozen troopers and members of the Army Corps of Engineers joined in the search by ground and by water.
"It's the most difficult part of the job,” Sgt. Collin Stosberg said. “I'm looking at the divers and the conservation agents who are coworkers and it's hard to imagine going in and doing that, it’s very difficult.”
Earlier Wednesday, in a live interview with NBC Action News Today reporter Lindsay Shively, Stosberg called Guthrie a great husband and a great father.
“Just a great person,” he said, “and we’re gonna stay out here as long as it takes until we find him.”
Guthrie coached pee-wee football and was honored in 2007 by the governor of Missouri for saving a woman from rough waters in Smithville Lake .
“He meant a lot to a lot of people. The patrol is a family-oriented business,” Stosberg said. “Not only on the patrol, but throughout the community, he’s well-liked.”
The Army Corps of Engineers helped troopers finish a sand and concrete barrier. They put the barrier near the site where the trooper and his truck were last seen.
"The goal is to slow down some of the current from the flood waters," said Sgt. Sheldon Lyon.
As of Wednesday afternoon, nearly 4,000 people had 'liked' a Facebook page set up in support for Trooper Guthrie and his family.
A memorial fund has been set up for Guthrie at the Bank of Weston:
Bank of Weston
18255 Highway 45 North
Weston, MO 64098
Published in the Kansas City Star - August 3, 2011
Divers are searching holes — one that is at least 30 feet deep — carved by floodwaters for a missing Missouri Highway Patrol trooper who is believed to have been swept away.
Divers have concentrated their search for the body of Trooper Frederick Guthrie along Missouri 118 where the floodwaters were passing over the highway.
“We have finished building a short dam or berm so that we could change the current, making it possible for divers to safely check next to the road,” Sgt. Sheldon Lyon with the Missouri Highway Patrol said this afternoon.
“The current where it crosses the highway is so swift that when it gets to the south side of the roadway, it is eating away at what would have been the gravel shoulder,” Lyon added. “It is gone now. Not only is the shoulder gone, but the flood waters have scoured down underneath creating very deep holes.”
Authorities think that Guthrie and his K-9, Reed, were swept away by flood waters Monday afternoon while on duty in Hold County in Northwest Missouri. He was patrolling streets, homes and farms that had been evacuated
His patrol vehicle with its boat still in tow was found near Missouri 118 later that day. Reed’s body was found about 6:25 p.m. Tuesday, about 50 yards from the vehicle.
“We had been very hopeful that because we found the dog in that area, the other recovery would happen fast,” Lyon said.
Lyon praised the community and local law enforcement agencies for their support in the search.
He also said they have had significant assistance from the Missouri Department of Transportation and the Army Corps of Engineers in building the berm.
Published in the St. Joseph News-Press - August 3, 2011
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is widening the area in the search for missing trooper Fred Guthrie Jr.
"They're going to expand their surface search for this afternoon and this evening because the divers didn't have any luck," said Sgt. Sheldon Lyon, spokesman for the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
While the divers will continue to search the area that was dammed by sandbags Tuesday, troopers will again search by land and air, widening their path downstream.
Mr. Lyon said the St. Joseph Fire Department has also brought its boat to aid in the search, along with the Patrol's Aircraft and Water Patrol Divisions.
Mr. Guthrie's K-9 partner, Reed, was found dead around 7 p.m. Tuesday. He floated to the surface about three hours after a Black Hawk began to dam the area where Mr. Guthrie's still-running truck was found.
Published on NBC Action News - August 2, 2011
HOLT, Missouri - A Holt, Missouri woman calls missing Missouri State Trooper Fred Guthrie her angel. Shirley Buck credits Guthrie for saving her life.
Crews started looking for Gutherie on Monday in Holt County in northwest Missouri. It is believed floodwaters swept him into the swollen Missouri River sometime after 3 p.m. Monday. Neither Guthrie or his K-9 partner has been seen since.
In 2007, Buck was fishing with several others in Smithville Lake under the Route W bridge. A microburst suddenly hit the lake, and several boats tried to ride out an oncoming storm. The heavy rains and straight line winds swept over the lake and capsized several boats, including Buck's.
Buck remembered how, in her words, "the boat went straight down." Buck said she did not have a life preserver on as she tried to tread the turbulent eight-foot waves.
Guthrie, with the Missouri State Water Patrol, fought the waves in his boat too. He finally reached the group of seven in the water and pulled Buck and the others to safety.
Buck said she wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for Guthrie, and teared up on her front porch when remembering Gutherie.
"He was an angel. I didn't think of him as another man. He was sent from God...I hope he's still alive," said Buck.
Buck said she was very concerned to learn Guthrie has now gone missing. Guthrie earned the Medal of Valor for saving Buck's life. Buck believes Guthrie was more than just an award winning trooper.
"It's just a medal. He did much more than that," explained Buck. "If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be here today."
In Memory of Trooper Fred Guthrie
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