Three arrested in connection with missing man in Caruthersville, Mo.

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- Three persons are in custody in connection with the disappearance of a Pemiscot County man.

Law enforcement officers are continuing to search through county drainage ditch in an effort to locate Dary McIntyre, 35, whose car was discovered Sunday afternoon submerged in the Mississippi River just south of Caruthersville.

According to Pemiscot County Sheriff Tommy Greenwell, investigators began their search Sunday afternoon and it continued into the early morning hours on Monday. After several attempts to contact McIntyre, investigators then began questioning family members in the Hayti area.

"They informed officers they hadn't heard from McIntyre over a lengthy period of time and they were concerned of his whereabouts," Greenwell stated in a news release.

During the course of the investigation, McIntyre was listed as a missing person and officers began to suspect foul play, the sheriff said. Information from individuals led law enforcement officers to believe McIntyre may have been placed in a barrel, which was thrown into a drainage ditch.

At daybreak Monday, an extensive search was begun. Rescue teams from the Pemsicot County Rescue Squad and the Kennett Fire Department assisted in the search.

Sheriff's department investigators continued their work and Monday afternoon obtained evidence linking individuals from the Steele, Mo., area to McIntyre's disappearance, Greenwell said.

"It was learned during the course of the investigation the possible area of where McIntrye could be located and events that led to the disappearance of Dary McIntyre," Greenwell stated.

The three individuals, whose names were withheld pending the filing of formal charges by Pemiscot County Prosecutor Mike Hazel, are being held in the Pemiscot County Justice Center.

Greenwell praised the various law groups' cooperation in enabling the Pemiscot County Sheriff's Department to make arrests in the case. Agencies assisting the sheriff's department in the investigation included the Bootheel Drug Task Force, Missouri State Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control, Pemiscot County Rescue Squad, Kennett Fire Department, Missouri Department of Conservation, Hayti Police Department, Caruthersville Police Department and Steele Police and Fire Departments.