A Saturday afternoon call for a water rescue in the village of Doolittle ended in tragedy when a person was found to have drowned in Phelps County, officials said.
Emergency crews arrived shortly after 1 p.m., and a firefighter who went into the water determined the person had drowned. According to First Alert 4, the incident unfolded in the 200 block of MacArthur Street in Doolittle.
The Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District, Phelps Health EMS, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department and Rolla City Fire all responded to the scene. Rolla City Fire assisted in recovering the body, after which officials turned the scene over to the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department and the county coroner.
The Scene And Emergency Response
Responders searched the water while a Doolittle firefighter entered to look for the missing person. Once the body was located, Rolla City Fire helped bring the person out of the water so law enforcement and the coroner could take custody.
"No further information will be given," the Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District told First Alert 4.
Officials And Next Steps
The Phelps County coroner and the sheriff’s office will oversee identification of the person and any follow-up investigation. The county directory lists the Sheriff’s Department at (573) 426-3860 and the coroner, Ernie Coverdell, at (573) 202-4353, per the Phelps County directory. No names or official cause of death have been released.
What To Know About Water Incidents
The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Water Patrol assists with boating and drowning investigations and maintains an online roster of preliminary incident reports. If you witnessed this incident or have information that could help investigators, contact the Phelps County Sheriff’s Office at (573) 426-3860.
