A search for a missing Poplar Bluff man ended Wednesday morning with the recovery of a body from Black River.
The body has been identified as Shawn Burkett, 48, according to Butler County Coroner Andy Moore, who indicated an autopsy is not planned at this time.
"We learned from the Poplar Bluff (Police Department) about a missing person, possibly in the water" on Monday night, explained Missouri State Highway Patrol Cpl. Richie Ayers. "We started a surface and dragging search yesterday morning, and then we used sonar yesterday afternoon."
Tuesday's searches, Ayers said, went down river to within about three-quarters of mile from the Dan River access, Ayers said.
During a surface search Wednesday morning, "we found something we needed to investigate further, and we did and located him," Ayers said.
The body was found upstream from the railroad trestle that crosses Black River near Wiseman Beach.
"This morning, we had went down and were on our way back up and saw something below the water's edge," Ayers said.
Authorities reportedly have been searching for Burkett since about 8:45 p.m. Monday.
"A missing persons report came in, and his scooter was located under the Pine Street bridge on Riverview" Drive, said Poplar Bluff Deputy Chief Donnie Trout.
The reporting party, Trout said, thought the man may have gone fishing.
Trout said officers were told the man had been last seen at about 9 a.m. Monday on his moped over on the Eastside.
"Then the reporting party observed the moped parked on Riverview under the bridge at about noon that day," Trout said.
The moped reportedly was still parked there Monday night, having been there for about 10 hours.
The reporting party was a friend the man lived with, and the same person who saw the moped, Trout said.
"An area search was conducted," Trout said. " ... The canine officer was called in (but due) to the duration of it being so long, the dog wasn't even deployed because people had been all in the area," Trout said.
After a while, "it was the presumption this person may be in the river, and efforts were concentrated on the river and running down leads from different people," said Trout.
Contact, he said, was made Monday night with the patrol's Marine Division.
"At that point, they felt like it would be a recovery effort," Trout said. "They didn't deploy their boats due to darkness" Monday night.
The Poplar Bluff Fire Department also was requested to assist in the search with the department's boat; however, it also wasn't deployed due to the search being suspended until Tuesday morning.