Perry County coroner's car stolen

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A bright red 2001 Chevy Yukon with no other markings than the special county license plate, 3108 PC, was stolen from the Miller Family Funeral Home in Perryville.

Herbert Miller, Perry County coroner since 1995 and a funeral director since 1970, said he didn't know what to think when he discovered it missing at around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

"I've never had a vehicle stolen," he said. "We've had accidents, like fender benders. Nothing like this."

"It's been a long day," he said. He'd been busy with a funeral in Brewer involving nearly 100 mourners. At the end of the day, he asked his son to put the vehicle away.

"He went down and came back up and said 'Dad, it's not there.' My wife went down and checked and said, 'No, it's not there,'" he said. "That's when we notified law enforcement."

He said the vehicle is stocked with red lights, stretchers, radios and other equipment. He said the key was under the floor mat "in case we needed to get to it in a hurry."

Until it's recovered, Miller said he'll use an ambulance service and his personal vehicle. He doesn't expect the official car to be gone long.

"It's going to be hard to hide."