Body found in St. Francis River; no foul play suspected

FISK, Mo. -- There was no foul play involved in the drowning death of 58-year-old Fisk, Mo., resident Larry Boyer, according to an investigation completed Tuesday by law enforcement.

Boyer's body was recovered around 4 p.m. Monday from the St. Francis River near Fisk. He was last seen at 11 p.m. Christmas Day, and authorities now believe the man's death was an accident.

"We found injuries consistent with wandering off through heavy debris and trying to struggle in the water," said Butler County Coroner Jim Akers, adding an autopsy will not be required.

Investigators say Boyer may not have been fully aware of where he was or what he was doing after he stepped outside his home in a group of senior housing apartments to smoke a cigarette.

"Due to recent health issues, he was increasingly becoming more confused," Akers said.

During an earlier trip outside to smoke Christmas Day, Boyer had wandered away and tried to enter another home looking for a pair of boots, said Butler County Sheriff's Department investigator Wes Popp.

The sheriff's department was called to search for Boyer at 11 a.m. Monday. They found a pair of cowboy boots and a heavy vest belonging to him in the woods near the St. Francis River levee near Fisk.

"We searched the woods and found boot prints going down to the river," Popp said. "We then started to skirt the river line and that's when we found (Boyer)."

Search and recovery efforts were conducted by seven members of sheriff's department, some Fisk residents, two members of the coroner's office and troopers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Akers praised sheriff Mark Dobbs, who found Boyer, and deputies for their efforts to find the missing man.

"If it weren't for sheriff Dobbs and his people getting out there, it might have been several months before the body was located and that would have made it a much harder case to solve," Akers said. He said if the investigators had not been able to find injuries consistent with a fall, they might never have determined what happened.

Pertinent address:

Fisk, MO