Randolph County Sheriff Jarrod Peters
CHESTER – The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office and Coroner’s Office have released some additional details regarding the Curtis Scott Sheeler missing person investigation.
On July 8, 2025, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office reported the discovery of the body of 65-year-old Curtis Scott Sheeler. Mr. Sheeler, who had been reported missing two days earlier, was found deceased near his home on Rosewood Lane in rural Randolph County late Tuesday morning (July 8th).
The family initially requested a welfare check on Mr. Sheeler on Sunday evening, July 6th at his home. When Mr. Sheeler could not be located at his home, deputies began going to homes of known friends and neighbors in search of Mr. Sheeler or leads on where he might be found. The family did mention that it wasn’t out of the ordinary for Mr. Sheeler not to answer his phone or be reachable from time to time.
The Sheriff’s Office initially received information indicating that Mr. Sheeler may be in an area near Murphysboro, Illinois due to a cell phone ping from a number that was provided. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office assisted in pursuing this lead, which was ultimately unfounded.
The following morning (Monday, July 7th) the Sheriff’s Office made contact with a close friend of Sheeler’s who indicated that he had received a voicemail from Mr. Sheeler several days prior (July 1st). This would serve as the last known confirmed contact or communication from Sheeler.
Based on the small amount of information provided in the voicemail, focus began on the area around Sheeler’s property.
Authorities coordinated with local fire departments and a special operations canine search team. This two-day operation included personnel from the Sparta Fire Department and the Franklin County Office of Emergency Management Special Operations (OEMC) K9 Team.
Day two the operation was expanded and included first responders from a number of area agencies participating in the search efforts. Those agencies included Sparta Fire, Franklin County OEMC K9 Team, Randolph County Emergency Management, Baldwin Fire, Red Bud Fire, Ellis Grove Fire, Prairie Du Rocher Fire, Chester Fire, and Med Star Ambulance.
Sheeler’s body was located on an adjacent piece of property later that morning.
At the request of the family, information from the investigation was not shared with the public in order to respect the privacy of the family and Mr. Sheeler. The Sheriff’s Office fully believes in honoring and respecting all parties involved in a tragic event such as this and will not turn to social media to get views or to satisfy those who are not relevant to the case.
The Randolph County Coroner’s Office reports that based on the certain on-scene observations and consultation with a forensic pathologist, that Mr. Sheeler died due to an acute cardiac event days prior to the initial missing person’s report.
Once again, I want to extend my sincere condolences to Mr. Sheeler’s family, and I also want to thank everyone involved in the recovery or Mr. Sheeler.