Deceased male discovered near Austin’s Todd Park Tuesday morning

A deceased male was discovered near Todd Park in Austin Tuesday morning and evidence at the scene indicated that his injuries may have been self-inflicted. 

The Austin Police Department took a report, made by family just after midnight on Monday, April 3rd concerning a missing 22-year-old male from Austin, who had last been seen on Friday, March 31st.  Chief of Police Dave McKichan stated in a report that nothing at that time indicated that the man was endangered.  Officers did locate the man’s unoccupied vehicle in Austin’s Todd Park NW parking lot shortly after the report was made. 

Chief McKichan stated that officers used a drone on Monday to survey the area, in addition to other investigative methods that might have established the man’s whereabouts including foot searches, but he stated that those were not successful.  The Austin Police Department and deputies from the Mower County Sheriff’s Office then went out the morning of Tuesday, April 4th and began a larger drone and area foot search. Chief McKichan indicated that law enforcement did locate the gentleman deceased in a wood line along a Cedar River non-main channel riverbank outside of the park boundaries.

McKichan stated that evidence this was a self-harm case was evident from the scene.  Chief McKichan went on to note that department staff worked on the case with the Medical Examiner’s Office and the Mower County Sheriff’s Office.