MOUND CITY, MO (KCTV) -
The search for missing Missouri Highway Patrol trooper Fred Guthrie Jr. will continue Saturday and authorities are more optimistic that they will find his body.
No major breaks occurred Friday.
This came after an "an item of interest" was found on Thursday, which was then taken to Jefferson City for analysis. Col. Ron Replogle, head of the Highway Patrol, declined to confirm whether it was an item of Guthrie's clothing.
Cadaver dogs have helped authorities refine the search area. Troopers are focusing on a massive basin created by the flood waters. With each bucket of dirt that was moved, investigators from the Missouri State Highways Patrol looked on.
Family and friends gathered at the site where crews have been looking, holding out hope.
Replogle said Guthrie's wife, Theresa, has been extremely strong since her husband and his K-9 partner Reed went missing on Aug. 1. Reed's body was found the next day. The search area is near where his empty patrol vehicle was found.
"Obviously, we need some closure for this family and this agency," Replogle said. "We will not stop looking until we find Fred. I've made that commitment to Theresa and to the family. That's why you see the efforts back here."
A court has already declared Guthrie legally dead. Searchers believe Guthrie's body is buried in an area filled with tons of silt and sand.
"We are confident we are searching in the right area based on all the evidence we have all the way back to Aug. 1," Replogle said.
Click here to read how officials tried everything to recover the body of Missouri Highway Patrol trooper Fred Guthrie.
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