Muscatine deputies found the body of Letts man in a Creek Bed away from a rollover accident, Nov. 27, Sheriff Quinn Riess said.
Samuel Kessel, 22, was found Tuesday afternoon following a search of the area near Monday night's crash.
Funeral Service will be 4 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 3, at Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home.
Visitation will be from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family, in care of Kim Kessel for wildlife management . Online condolences may be made at www.wittichfuneralhome.com.
Sheriff Quinn provided the following report.
At 9:13 p.m., Monday, Nov. 27, 2023, a motor vehicle crash was reported at Independence Avenue and 231st Street (G-28) in Muscatine County.
Deputies found a red 2005 GMC Sierra on its roof, in a ditch, north of the intersection. The vehicle was unoccupied.
Deputies searched the area using canines and drones equipped with thermal imagining but were unsuccessful in locating the occupant(s).
Deputies attempted to ping the cellphone of the registered owner, but the phone was found in the truck.
Overnight temperatures dropped into the single digits.
On Nov. 28, about 9:36 a.m., a missing persons report was filed with the Sheriff for Samuel Anthony Kessel, 22, last seen by his parents in the hour prior to the crash. It was believed that Mr. Kessel was the driver and sole occupant of the truck.
Throughout the day, deputies and numerous volunteers searched the area. The Iowa State Patrol searched by air.
At about 5:10 p.m., deputies were summoned to an eighth-mile north of 231st Street and half mile east of Independence Avenue.
Volunteers working in that area located a body of a deceased male in a deep creek bed that ran through a wooded area. The decedent was subsequently identified as Samuel Kessel.
The investigation is ongoing and those with information are asked to contact Sgt. Jake McCleary of the Criminal Investigation Division at the Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office, 563-264-0188 ext.4105.