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Missing man found dead
FILLMORE -- The body of a Fillmore man missing since Sunday afternoon was located Wednesday morning near his home.
James Brandon Barnett, 32, was found at the bottom of a Ravine at 231 Westwood Rd. Putnam County Sheriff's Department chief deputy Doug Nally said the mower Barnett was riding when he was last seen overturned on him.
Chief deputy coroner Dave Brown said the coroner's office is awaiting official results of an autopsy, but did not expect foul play. Dr. Kohr in Terre Haute was set to perform the autopsy either Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning.
"We're anticipating nothing suspicious with this death, but we're waiting for Dr. Kohr to tell us," Brown said. "It's just an unfortunate accident, unfortunate all the way around."
Brown said it appears Barnett was driving down the incline when the snow blade on the front of the mower caught on a downed tree approximately 12 to 18 inches in diameter. This caused the mower to flip over on top of Barnett.
"All signs point to blunt force trauma, but we're waiting for official word from Dr. Kohr," Brown said.
Nally said the call came in to dispatch that Barnett's body had been found some time after 8 a.m. Wednesday. The property owners' grandson walked the property earlier Wednesday and found the mower and body.
Fillmore town marshal Darrel Bunten and sheriff's deputies Tom Helmer, Mike Biggs and Pat McFadden responded to the call.
The incident happened closer to the back of the property, so it was closer to Putnam Street. The mower was actually visible from the street, but family members and investigators who had searched the area in recent days did not see it.
"It's terrible," Nally said. "He was literally two blocks from his house, and we saturated that whole area."
Autopsy results will be reported in the Banner Graphic when they are available.