An Independence, Mo. man drowned near the Dallas-Camden county line Sunday when his vehicle was swept away during a creek flood.
According to the Missouri Water Patrol, William Willis, 75, and two passengers were crossing a creek near his home in the pickup truck after the creek had swollen due to rain.
The two passengers, 16 and 20, were able to escape through the back glass, but Willis could not for reasons that weren't clear on Monday afternoon.
The three men were hunting near Willis' Tunas, Mo. farm when the water began rising. When they were reported missing, law enforcement and emergency responders from several agencies were called out late Sunday afternoon to help Dallas County officials search for them.
Responders, not knowing exactly where the group was, were having trouble finding a safe path to cross several flooded low-water crossings. They found Willis at approximately 8 p.m.
They searched from Tunas down to Roach, Mo., but it is unknown where the men were eventually found.
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