Search for Missing Woman in Shell Knob Fire Ends
January 25, 2018
Charlea Estes-Jones
Investigators with the State Fire Marshall believe they have found the woman presumed dead from a house fire on Table Rock Lake last week. According to Rusty Rickard, Central Crossing Fire chief, the local department’s search had to be called off after almost two full days of being on scene fighting the blaze and searching for the woman believed to have been killed.
Central Crossing was dispatched to the fire after a call came in through central dispatch at 5:12 p.m. on Tuesday, January 16. The caller said they could see the fire across the lake. The three-story residence was located off of H Highway south of Shell Knob in Stone County.
Central Crossing responded to the fire along with Southern Stone County and Eagle Rock-Golden-Mano Fire Departments for automatic mutual aid. Once on scene, two-thirds of the structure was ablaze, and two people were believed to be inside.
One of the victims of the fire, a man, was transported to a local hospital by ambulance before being air lifted to a larger hospital. Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader confirmed the man to be Charles Patrick, who has since been released from the hospital. The wife in the home, Cynthia Patrick, 82, could not be located while crews were fighting the flames.
Rickard said it is believed that Patrick went back into the home to locate a family pet but didn’t come back out.
Once the flames were extinguished, crew stayed on until around midnight, searching for the remains of the woman presumed to be killed in the fire. At that time, the Stone County Sheriff’s Department secured the scene until the fire fighters and investigators returned at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Heavy equipment was brought on scene and crews continued to search for the woman until night fall, returning Thursday morning. The search was finally called off after 43 hours.
Rickard said, “After much effort and no success locating the missing victim, the difficult decision was made to suspend further search efforts for the time being. No official determination has been made as to the cause of the fire. The fire is not currently considered suspicious and is thought to possibly be related to the wood burning fireplace.”
Rickard said he got in contact with the State Fire Marshal because of the death involved. The Fire Marhsal sent investigators with sifters and cadaver K-9’s to continue searching.
Rickard said, “Many difficult challenges were faced during the 43 hour term of this incident. The extreme winter weather conditions resulted in snow and ice covered roadways and temperatures down to -7 degrees. Trucks had to be equipped with tire chains. Hoses, nozzles, valves & tools quickly became frozen, some resulting in damage & failure. Emergency responders had to take special precautions for themselves due to the temperatures and working in wet environments.”
Rickard said that at one point, crews thought they found Patrick’s remains on Friday afternoon, however it proved to be a family pet. He said, “The State Fire Marshall Friday morning called and at that point, they were working to bring in three different screen sifters and a cadaver K-9 team. That was in the works Friday morning late.
“Then Friday afternoon right after lunch, we got a call that people on the scene think they had located her. That ended up being a family pet and they kept searching.
“On Friday night, they finally found human remains that was thought to be that of the missing victim.”
Rickard said the severe conditions during this search was difficult on all involved. He released a statement: “Our thanks to Stone County 911, Southern Stone Fire, Eagle Rock Fire, Mercy EMS, Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office, Stone County Sheriff’s Office, Carroll Electric and Stone County Road and Bridge for their assistance. Also, thank you to Harter House of Shell Knob for the food and drink as well as all of the locals and neighbors for providing warm drinks and support.
“Please keep the family and emergency crews in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
Charlea Estes-Jones
Investigators with the State Fire Marshall believe they have found the woman presumed dead from a house fire on Table Rock Lake last week. According to Rusty Rickard, Central Crossing Fire chief, the local department’s search had to be called off after almost two full days of being on scene fighting the blaze and searching for the woman believed to have been killed.
Central Crossing was dispatched to the fire after a call came in through central dispatch at 5:12 p.m. on Tuesday, January 16. The caller said they could see the fire across the lake. The three-story residence was located off of H Highway south of Shell Knob in Stone County.
Central Crossing responded to the fire along with Southern Stone County and Eagle Rock-Golden-Mano Fire Departments for automatic mutual aid. Once on scene, two-thirds of the structure was ablaze, and two people were believed to be inside.
One of the victims of the fire, a man, was transported to a local hospital by ambulance before being air lifted to a larger hospital. Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader confirmed the man to be Charles Patrick, who has since been released from the hospital. The wife in the home, Cynthia Patrick, 82, could not be located while crews were fighting the flames.
Rickard said it is believed that Patrick went back into the home to locate a family pet but didn’t come back out.
Once the flames were extinguished, crew stayed on until around midnight, searching for the remains of the woman presumed to be killed in the fire. At that time, the Stone County Sheriff’s Department secured the scene until the fire fighters and investigators returned at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Heavy equipment was brought on scene and crews continued to search for the woman until night fall, returning Thursday morning. The search was finally called off after 43 hours.
Rickard said, “After much effort and no success locating the missing victim, the difficult decision was made to suspend further search efforts for the time being. No official determination has been made as to the cause of the fire. The fire is not currently considered suspicious and is thought to possibly be related to the wood burning fireplace.”
Rickard said he got in contact with the State Fire Marshal because of the death involved. The Fire Marhsal sent investigators with sifters and cadaver K-9’s to continue searching.
Rickard said, “Many difficult challenges were faced during the 43 hour term of this incident. The extreme winter weather conditions resulted in snow and ice covered roadways and temperatures down to -7 degrees. Trucks had to be equipped with tire chains. Hoses, nozzles, valves & tools quickly became frozen, some resulting in damage & failure. Emergency responders had to take special precautions for themselves due to the temperatures and working in wet environments.”
Rickard said that at one point, crews thought they found Patrick’s remains on Friday afternoon, however it proved to be a family pet. He said, “The State Fire Marshall Friday morning called and at that point, they were working to bring in three different screen sifters and a cadaver K-9 team. That was in the works Friday morning late.
“Then Friday afternoon right after lunch, we got a call that people on the scene think they had located her. That ended up being a family pet and they kept searching.
“On Friday night, they finally found human remains that was thought to be that of the missing victim.”
Rickard said the severe conditions during this search was difficult on all involved. He released a statement: “Our thanks to Stone County 911, Southern Stone Fire, Eagle Rock Fire, Mercy EMS, Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office, Stone County Sheriff’s Office, Carroll Electric and Stone County Road and Bridge for their assistance. Also, thank you to Harter House of Shell Knob for the food and drink as well as all of the locals and neighbors for providing warm drinks and support.
“Please keep the family and emergency crews in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”