Missing Man: Robert Peters--MO--06/28/2009

[LoriDavis]

http://www.semissourian.com/story/1551599.html
Search continues for missing Dexter man
Thursday, July 2, 2009
By Mike McCoy ~ The Daily Statesman

Robert Peters

DEXTER, Mo. -- A Dexter man has been missing since 4:30 p.m. Sunday from a campground in Wayne County. Search and rescue workers were scouring the Hidden Valley Campground area Tuesday afternoon in an effort to find Robert Peters, 43.

Peters, who is insulin dependent, was last wearing khaki shorts and light blue T-shirt. Authorities were in their second day of the search Tuesday, and Wayne County Sheriff Phillip Burton was unavailable for comment. A dispatcher in the sheriff's office said he was part of the search and rescue operation.

Sarah Sandusky of Dexter, Peters' sister, said rescue workers were going to begin the search again Wednesday. Sandusky said any help the rescue workers could get would be appreciated. She was in Wayne County Tuesday still searching for her brother.

Sandusky said the search, coordinated by the Wayne County sheriff's office, had included helicopters on Monday, riders on horse back, four-wheelers and canine units. As of Wednesday morning they had not found Peters.

Peters had gone to the Hidden Valley Campground with two friends on Sunday, according to Sandusky. She said she believed that some complications arose from his insulin and he became disoriented and confused. He disappeared around 4:30 p.m. that day.

Sandusky said a report was being circulated that her brother was in Dexter or Sikeston, but she doesn't believe those reports and one reported sighting in Dexter was found to be false. Sandusky said she does fear that her brother may have gotten a ride from someone and they may have put him out because of his erratic behavior.

Sandusky appealed to anyone who may have seen her brother or perhaps given him a ride from the Hidden Valley Campground to please call the Wayne County sheriff's office at 573-224-3219.

"The family really appreciates everyone that has helped in the search," Sandusky said.

[LoriDavis]

http://www.dailystatesman.com/story/1552269.html

Bollinger County joins in search for local man
Friday, July 3, 2009
By NOREEN HYSLOP Managing Editor

A command center has been established in Bollinger County in a continuing effort to locate a missing Dexter man, 43-year-old Robert Peters.

Peters went missing at 4:30 a.m. Sunday from a campground area located on the Castor River in Wayne County. He was accompanied by two friends, but those friends turned up later in the morning with neither knowing the whereabouts of Peters, who is a diabetic and wears an insulin pump to maintain his blood sugar levels. That pump, according to family members, was only expected to sustain Peters' sugar levels for a period of "about four days."

A command center has been established at Highways Y and 34 at Twin Bridges in Bollinger County, according to officials at the Bollinger County Sheriff's Department who are working jointly with Wayne County in trying to locate the Dexter native.

Peters was last seen in the early morning hours of Sunday wearing khaki shorts and a light blue T-shirt. His wife and two daughters were to meet him at the campsite on Sunday and the family was to spend the day at the river, but when Peters' two friends with whom he was camping awoke around 8 a.m. and Peters was not at the campsite, they searched in vain and called Wayne County authorities who immediately went to work combing the rough terrain around the site.

Family members locally, including Sarah Sundusky, a sister of Peters, have asked that anyone having any information regarding her brother's whereabouts contact local authorities immediately.

"Robert's behavior becomes erratic when his insulin levels drop" Sandusky explained, "and often that kind of behavior is mistaken as belligerence. We're afraid he is in need of help and that people may resist helping him because of that erratic behavior. For that reason, we want to get his photo out and let people know who Robert is and that he needs help."

A camper near the area where Peters disappeared told authorities that a man matching his description had repeatedly asked him for directions to his campsite in the early morning hours of Sunday. The camper was reportedly the last person to have seen Peters.

The search for Peters, initially coordinated through efforts of the Wayne County Sheriff's Department and the Highway Patrol, has involved the use of helicopters, riders on horseback, canine units and all terrain vehicles, along with volunteers on foot, along with teams of law enforcement officers. Peters' wife and his family are also involved in the search effort.

Anyone with information or willing to help in the search for Peters is asked to contact either the Wayne County Sheriff's office at 573-224-3219 or the Bollinger County Sheriff's Dept. at 573-238-2633.

[LoriDavis]

http://www.semissourian.com/story/1552795.html

Search for missing man enters 10th day
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
By Noreen Hyslop ~ The Daily Statesman

DEXTER, Mo. -- The search for a Dexter man who went missing at a Wayne County campground is entering its 10th day.

"We're still going on the premise that he's out there and needs to be found," says Sgt. Jeff Woodard of the Bollinger County Sheriff's Department, with regard to the week-long search for a Dexter man, 43-year-old Robert Peters, who disappeared in the early morning hours of July 5 in Wayne County.

Peters, who is insulin dependent and wears an insulin pump, had only about a three-day supply of medication with him when he was last seen.

Peters, with two friends, was camped in the Hidden Valley Campground along the Castor River in northeastern Wayne County Saturday and was expected to join his wife, Vicky Peters and their two daughters on Sunday. He was reportedly seen by a camper close to his own campsite around 4:30 a.m. Sunday and twice asked directions to his camp.

Family members report that when his insulin levels drop, Peters often becomes confused and frustrated, and his behavior can be described as belligerent in nature. Family members have been in fear that this behavior may be keeping him from obtaining needed help.

Involved in the manhunt are members of the volunteer Glen Allen Fire Department in Bollinger County, who continue along with family members and other volunteers, to search for Peters in an area near Route Y near the river and in all open fields in the area.

One rumor dispelled by Woodard in a Monday interview involved news that a bank debit card, carried by Peters, had been in use in recent days.

"We have no knowledge at this time about any debit card having been used," Woodard stated.

"We have no clues at this time regarding (Robert Peters') whereabouts.

The Peters family, along with law enforcement agencies urge anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Robert Peters to contact the Bollinger County Sheriff's Department at 573-238-2633.

[LoriDavis]

http://www.semissourian.com/story/1554509.html
Search for missing Dexter man going over two weeks
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 ~ Updated 1:30 PM
By Donna Farley ~ Daily American Republic
 
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- For the second week there is no sign of a Poplar Bluff business owner who disappeared from an area campground. The search for Robert Peters is ongoing, according to Wayne County Sheriff Phillip Burton.

Law enforcement continues to investigate possible leads and help with the ground search efforts of Peters family and volunteers, Burton said.

The 43-year-old was last seen June 28 at Hidden Valley Campground in northeastern Wayne County. Peters, of Dexter, owns Miracle Ear Hearing Centers in Poplar Bluff and Sikeston.

Family members believe Peters may have been disoriented because of complications from diabetes. They say he may have wandered away from the campground or accepted a ride in a vehicle without understanding what he was doing.

"We are still getting phone calls in from possible sightings in Scott County, Sikeston and the Cape Girardeau area," Burton said. "We've received several leads from people who believe they have seen him or picked him up. But we haven't been able to confirm any of those 100 percent, so we can't rule out that he wandered away."

Witnesses who saw the man in the early morning hours June 28 said he seemed confused. His wife, Vicki, has said low blood sugar levels have left Peters at the point where he did not know his own name in the past. Peters needs regular doses of insulin and also takes anti-rejection medication for a kidney transplant.

His family has continued to organize ground searches of the Hidden Valley area and Castor River with volunteers.

They planned to search with friends this weekend, Vicki said, but are not sure how to proceed.

"We don't know where else to go," Vicki said. "I wish I knew."

Family members and search volunteers have been meeting at the home of Gale Francis, at the corner of highways 34 and Y near Twin Bridges campground.

When man power permits, the sheriff's department also continues to search, Burton said.

"The area has been very well covered, but is such rough terrain, ... with such thick cover, you would almost need to be standing right on top of him," Burton said.

Immediately after his disappearance, upwards of 200 volunteers, multiple cadaver and tracking dogs, as well as helicopters searched the area. A Missouri State Highway Patrol plane also covered the area between Dexter and Hidden Valley Campground Monday.

Nothing has been found, according to authorities.

Peters' Ford Ranger pickup truck was left at the campground. The man wears an insulin pump, which contained three to four days of medication when he disappeared, but there has been no indication the pump has been refilled, Burton said.

"We will keep following leads. We need to keep his name and his photo out there, in case he has gone somewhere," Burton said. "At this point, he has not had his medication and would be in very bad shape."

Peters was wearing khaki shorts, a light blue T-shirt, glasses and sandals when he was last seen.

Anyone with any information about his whereabouts should contact the Wayne County Sheriff's Department at 573-224-3219.

[Jenn]

http://www.bnd.com/336/story/844598.html

Tuesday, Jul. 14, 2009
The Associated Press

Family worries about man missing since June

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A search continues in southeast Missouri for a 43-year-old man who has been missing for more than two weeks.

Relatives of Robert Peters of Dexter say he was last spotted June 28 at Hidden Valley Campground in Wayne County. They say he needs regular insulin for his diabetes and also takes anti-rejection medication for a kidney transplant. He gets disoriented and forgetful without his diabetes medicine.

Wayne County Sheriff Phillip Burton says a search for Peters is continuing in rough, thick terrain.

Shortly after Peters disappeared, more than 200 volunteers, aided by dogs and helicopters, searched but did not find him.

[Jenn]

http://www.fox4kc.com/news/sns-ap-mo--missingdexterman,0,3674776.story

Search ongoing for Dexter man with diabetes complications

By Associated Press
2:55 PM CDT, July 14, 2009

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (AP) — A search continues in southeast Missouri for a 43-year-old man who has been missing for more than two weeks.

Relatives of Robert Peters of Dexter say he was last spotted June 28 at Hidden Valley Campground in Wayne County. They say he needs regular insulin for his diabetes and also takes anti-rejection medication for a kidney transplant. He gets disoriented and forgetful without his diabetes medicine.

Wayne County Sheriff Phillip Burton says a search for Peters is continuing in rough, thick terrain.

Shortly after Peters disappeared, more than 200 volunteers, aided by dogs and helicopters, searched but did not find him.

[La Vina]

http://www.dailystatesman.com/story/1557269.html

Day 27 - Local man still missing
Friday, July 24, 2009
By NOREEN HYSLOP Managing Editor

It was 27 days ago on June 28 that 43-year-old Robert Peters disappeared from a camping area on Castor River in Wayne County. Authorities, it appears, are no closer to finding him than they were on the Sunday morning he went missing.
The Wayne County Sheriff's Department remains the primary agency involved with the search for Peters, with several other agencies having been involved in the hunt. The Missouri State Highway Patrol, along with Bollinger County authorities and the Glen Allen crew of volunteer firefighters have all been involved in trying to locate the Dexter native, whose wife, Vicky, and two daughters are attempting to carry on with their lives, having no idea what has happened to their husband and father.

A prayer vigil was held at Dexter's First United Methodist Church Wednesday evening where about 30 friends and family members gathered while Rev. Louie Lowe led a solemn plea for the family to receive some word on Peters' whereabouts and still with hope for his safe return.

What glimmer of hope authorities had for finding Peters safe diminishes with each day that passes and although Wayne County remains on the case, they admit they simply do not have the manpower to keep actively searching the rural area on a daily basis. Both agencies report that they continue to follow up, however, on any leads that come their way.

While family members have requested that the FBI become involved in the case, a conversation with Public Affairs Specialist Rebecca Wu at the St. Louis office of the FBI revealed that it is unlikely that their office would step in on the Peters search.

"No one has asked for us to step in on this investigation," Wu explained, "but typically the FBI does not enter a case unless there is evidence of a federal crime or if there is an issue of tender years (a young child)."

Wu went on to explain, "In the case of a crime scene, the FBI is often called in to offer forensic expertise."

There is no evidence of a crime scene involving the disappearance of Robert Peters. Peters is a diabetic and was wearing an insulin pump at the time of his disappearance which is capable of supplying only a few days of medication. According to Vicky Peters, her husband was carrying about $50 cash the last time he was seen in the early morning hours of June 28 at Hidden Valley Campgrounds in Wayne County.

Sen. Rob Mayer of Dexter, having been informed of the stall in officials actively searching for Peters, contacted Wayne County authorities this week and was told the sheriff's department there had exhausted their measures in the search effort.

"They spent several days in the woods and along the river, but they simply do not have the resources available to keep searching," Mayer said. "A large area surrounding the camping area where Robert Peters disappeared has been combed a minimum of four times by deputies and a large contingent of volunteers. They have utilized a patrol helicopter and canine units, but their resources are limited and they simply had to pull back."

Anyone with information regarding Peters' disappearance is asked to contact either the Wayne County Sheriff's Department at 573-224-3219 or Bollinger County Sheriff's Department at 573-238-2633.

[Jenn]

Charley Project profile for Robert: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/peters_robert.html

[Jenn]

http://www.dailystatesman.com/story/1598644.html

Part II 2009 Year in Review

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

July

* 1 - Search and rescue workers scoured the Hidden Valley Campgrounds area in an effort to find Robert Peters, 43, a businessman from Dexter, who went missing from his campsite.

* 3 - A command center was established in Bollinger County in a continuing effort to locate 43-year-old Robert Peters. He went missing in the Castor River area of Wayne County.

* 14 - The search for Robert Peters began winding down with Bollinger County ending their participation. Though two witnesses had accounts of seeing Peters in Sikeston and in Cape Girardeau, the leads proved fruitless.

[Deborah]

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