The body of a Butler County man was found Wednesday afternoon caught in a root wad on Black River, more than 6 miles south of where he was last seen.
"Yesterday afternoon around 2 o'clock, I was advised by dispatch that the water division of the (Missouri State) Highway Patrol had possibly located Thomas Mayabb south of the Dan River boat ramp," explained Butler County Sgt. James Lewis.
Mayabb, according to earlier reports, had been reported missing Monday afternoon by his mother, who had found her son's shoes, a sock and belt on the river levee on County Road 611, north of the boat ramp.
Family members had last spoken with the 41-year-old on Friday night.
Deputies and troopers subsequently began ground and water searches for Mayabb.
Patrol Cpl. Richie Ayers said he found Mayabb's body within an hour of getting on the water Wednesday.
The area, he said, had been searched before, but "sometimes things change over night."
Mayabb, Ayers said, was found floating and caught in a tree/root wad; "it was the whole system."
The location was about 40 feet from the east bank of the river, said Ayers, who described the river as being about 250 feet wide, and "right there where I found him was around 10 feet" deep.
That location, Ayers said, is about 6 1/2 miles south of Dan River access and within one-half mile north of County Road 658.
According to Ayers, the river still is up even though the discharge from Clearwater Lake has been reduced.
"The flow on (the river) is still going petty good ... moving steadily," but not as fast as the river gets "bigger on the way down," said Ayers, who indicated debris, including trees, is still going down river.
After Ayers made recovery, Mayabb's body was taken to the boat ramp, where Butler County Coroner Andy Moore pronounced him dead at 3:18 p.m.
Mayabb, Lewis said, was identified from the tattoos on his left bicep and left ankle area. Mayabb's father, he said, later looked at the tattoos and confirmed his son's identity.
Although authorities believe Mayabb drowned, an autopsy is set to be performed Friday morning by Dr. Russell Deidiker at a Farmington, Mo., hospital to determine his cause of death.
Authorities believe Mayabb entered Black River "at some point; we're not sure where exactly," said Lewis.
The river banks, he said, are "really steep; once he was in the water, it would have been really hard to get out."
After last speaking with family member(s) Friday night, Lewis said, Mayabb was seen twice more.
At about 7:40 p.m. Sunday, a white male, identified as Mayabb, was "in a picture taken on a game camera," Lewis said.
The camera was posted in the wood line at the edge of a field, just south of the river access and in close proximity to the camper where Mayabb was living, Lewis said.
"A short distance from the camera, we found a white tank top believed to be Thomas Mayabb's," Lewis said.
That sighting, Lewis said, is the last time Mayabb was seen.
He previously had been seen at about 6 p.m. Saturday at the boat ramp access, Lewis said. At that time, he said, Mayabb only was wearing blue jeans, no socks or shoes.
Family members went to Mayabb's trailer at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, but were unable to find him.
Lewis said Mayabb's jeans have not been found, but his second sock was found on Tuesday on the opposite side of County Road 611 about 20 yards south of where his shoes had been found.
At this time, Lewis said, the investigation is on hold pending the autopsy findings.