Missing man found deceased; no foul play suspected
SALEM TWP (WJER) (Aug. 30, 2023) – The search for a missing Newcomerstown area man has come to an end.
The remains of 81-year-old Stephen Myers were located late this morning in a wooded area near his home on Lick Run Road. Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell says the outcome is unfortunate but not unexpected.
“This has been what we thought would be the likely outcome but it’s a very thick, rough terrain, and while we’ve had some searches going every day, this was our biggest one. We were able to get a large coordinated search with a good number of people, and it turned out to be what we needed to find him.”
It’s not clear exactly when Myers walked away from his home, although the last his family had seen or heard from him was a couple of weeks ago.
“We do have a family member who believes he saw him riding a bike on the 15th, possibly the 16th but we think the 15th by looking at a calendar, and that also happens to be the last day he took his medication. He had a dated medication dispenser, and we know for a fact that was the last day he took his medication.”
Myers reportedly displayed some dementia-related behaviors in the past and had a pacemaker that the coroner used to make the identification. Any autopsy is pending, although Campbell says he appears to have died from natural causes.