Mushroom Hunters Find Body in Rural Missouri Water Well

Mushroom Hunters Find Body in Rural Missouri Water Well
Police tape hangs across the street in this file photo. (Larry W. Smith/Getty Images)
The Associated Press
5/4/2022
Updated:
5/4/2022

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.—Police were investigating after mushroom hunters discovered a body in a rural, hand-dug water well in south-central Missouri.

The discovery was made Sunday near the unincorporated community of Long Lane, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) northeast of Springfield.

The mushroom hunters were using a long branch to determine the well’s depth when “what appeared to be a human body emerged,” the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

Authorities removed the body Monday, drained the well, and searched the bottom for evidence, officials said. An autopsy was scheduled for Thursday to try to determine a cause of death and the person’s identity.