BIG LAKE, MO (KCTV) -
Officials are trying everything they can to recover the body of Missouri Highway Patrol trooper Fred Guthrie, including sonar, divers, mounds of sand, piles of dirt and hastily built levees.
The exhaustive search has stretched beyond 72 hours and his colleagues are anxious to end this part of the ordeal.
"It is difficult. We're friends with Fred," said Highway Patrol Sgt. Sheldon Lyon. "After he is found and recovered, that is when it will really sink in. Right now, they're just concentrating on the task at hand, which is the recovery."
Guthrie, a 17-year veteran of the Water Patrol, was last seen about 1 p.m. Monday. When he was reported missing, the search began around 3 p.m.
The body of his canine unit, Reed, was recovered Tuesday night. The body of the German Shepherd was found where Guthrie's unattended state vehicle was found Monday afternoon near flooded Highway 118.
Officials say that levee built on Tuesday has helped, and divers were in the water Wednesday, but conditions are still dangerous for everyone searching. The search area was expanded Thursday.
The rushing water is 40 feet deep in some areas, complicating the search. The road has been washed away.
A Missouri Highway Patrol spokesperson says help has come from many agencies across the area and they are grateful for it.
Searchers are able to take breaks in a nearby McDonald's restaurant.
Members of Guthrie's family are steadfastly waiting near the search area.
A fund to assist Guthrie's family has been established, officials said Wednesday.
Donations may be made to the Bank of Weston, P.O. Box 8, Weston, MO 64098.
A condolence has been established for Guthrie's family on Facebook. To leave your thoughts, click here.
Guthrie is survived by a wife and three children.
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