CHESTER – A 65-year-old Sparta area man, who was reported missing Sunday evening, has been found deceased near his home on Rosewood Lane.
Randolph County Sheriff Jarrod Peters identified the man as Curtis Scott Sheeler who was found late Tuesday morning.
Sheeler had been reported missing by a family member and a welfare check at Sheeler’s home was requested. An initial search of his home and the surrounding area was unsuccessful, and authorities spent the evening hours checking at the homes of friends in the area.
The following morning, Randolph County Sheriff’s Office continued the investigation, which generated information to support the coordination of a more thorough search near his home. This operation included assistance from the Sparta Fire Department and the Franklin County Office of Emergency Management Special Operations (OEMC) K9 Team.
On Tuesday morning, another search was coordinated by the Randolph County Sheriff’s office with assistance from the Sparta Fire Department and Randolph County Emergency Management. First Responders from a number of area agencies participated as part of this search team.
Those agencies included: Sparta Fire, Franklin County OEMC K9 Team, Baldwin Fire, Red Bud Fire, Ellis Grove Fire, Prairie du Rocher Fire, and Med Star Ambulance.
Sheeler’s body was located on an adjacent piece of property later that morning.
At this time the cause of death is still under investigation.
The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the first responders assisting us with this search. “We would also like to extend our sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Curtis Sheeler.”