A police officer was found dead in a flooded field on Saturday morning, March 3, hours after he was reported missing.
Police officer Rodney S. Smith, 45, of Boaz, Kentucky, was discovered in Hickman City, Kentucky, police said. His body was found at around 5:00 a.m. on Saturday morning.
He was declared dead at the scene by the Fulton County coroner. Authorities also found the police cruiser that Smith was driving.
The State Medical Examiner’s Office is to perform an autopsy on the policeman’s body later on Saturday.
Smith was initially reported missing at 9:15 p.m. on Friday evening according to authorities. Kentucky State Police said they were informed, “a Hickman City Police Officer was possibly missing in a flooded field on Bernal Avenue.”
Police also warned the public to avoid the area because of “the large number of resources deployed and the limited roadway access.”
Several emergency agencies searched the area throughout the night and into the early morning.
Joseph Bowen, 28, was driving to his DeKalb County home when his truck went down an embankment, hit a tree, then plummeted into a creek. His vehicle was carried a few feet down the flooded creek, according to the news outlet.
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