Father of two dies while exploring cave

ANTONIA, Mo. -- An eastern Missouri man died while exploring a cave tucked into a bluff in Jefferson County.

Rescuers summoned by the man's wife Friday afternoon found the body of Dave Wiegand at the bottom of an approximately 100-foot cave, said deputy chief Glenn Nivens of the Antonia Fire Protection District.

Wiegand, a 45-year-old father of two from Imperial, often joined friends in searching a nearby 30-foot cave for arrowheads and other artifacts.

The group had heard about another, deeper cave but never found it until Thursday, when Wiegand spotted the entrance on a wooded bluff behind an old industrial plant, friends said.

"He came over last night saying how proud he was that he found it," Don Durand, a friend of Wiegand, said Thursday.

Wiegand returned to the site Friday with his wife, Anna, who remained at the entrance while he went inside to explore. She grew worried when she could no longer hear him and called 911.

Durand and a roommate, Larry Cole, went to the site and found Wiegand's rope tied to a fence post that blocked the cave's small opening.

Cole said he called to Wiegand, who responded that he was fine. But Cole said he heard nothing more from his friend.

Nivens said firefighters learned from a previous rescue that the cave has a ledge about 75 feet below its opening and another drop-off of about 30 feet. Cole said he feared his friend may have fallen from the ledge after they spoke, unable to navigate his way in the dark.

Rescuers found Wiegand's body in late afternoon, about an hour after they were called.