Feature Series: Missing at the Lake

As the new year began, so did a period of renewed hope of finding hundreds of missing persons from Missouri. Here in the lake area, according to the Highway Patrol, there were 11 active cases when the calendar changed over to 2020. Those cases included nine adults and two others classified as children or juveniles on the dates they were reported missing. The active cases date back to 1984 when, then, 37-year-old Gary Brumley and, then, 15-year-old Tammy Rothganger, both of Eldon, were last seen. An arrest and conviction was made in the Rothganger case despite her body never being found. Another lake area resident reported missing in 2010, Richard Hess of Versailles, has been presumed dead according to the courts. The three most recent cases were filed late last year…Timothy Nicholas of Tuscumbia in August, Jessica Teer of Camdenton in October and 16-year-old Brittany Burgess of Camdenton in November. A complete list of missing persons from the lake area and across Missouri is available on the Highway Patrol’s website. Anyone with information on any of the cases is encouraged to contact the Highway Patrol or local law enforcement.