Thursday, August 7, 2008

Missing Persons Search Ends Tragically

   A missing persons search initiated by local law enforcement officials Tuesday ended tragically when the body of the missing individual was found floating in a small lake.

   Hyon Su Chon Kilburn, 52, of 19 Adkins Lane, Lawrenceburg, was reported missing by her son, Jeffrey Hodge, on Tuesday. Hodge came to the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department to seek help, indicating that his mother was possibly missing, suffered from mental illness, and had left a note at her home prior to her disappearance. Reading the note, deputies noted that it made no reference to harming herself. At that time friends and family  members had not seen Kilburn for approximately thirty-six hours.

   Throughout the remainder of the day Tuesday law enforcement officials investigated the disappearance, making numerous attempts to locate her. They learned from an unidentified neighbor that as Asian woman had been seen walking toward Grinnel Drive around 7:00 or 7:30 p.m. Although a search of the area was conducted, officials were unsuccessful in locating Kilburn at that time.

   At that point a BOLO “Be On the LookOut” alert was issued for a welfare check on Kilburn, allowing all area law enforcement officials to be on the alert to her presence.

   Around 11:30 p.m. deputies returned to Kilburn’s home, conducting an investigation of the premises to determine whether there were any signs of foul play inside the home. They reported finding none.

   Family and friends joined the effort by hanging missing person posters about the area.

   During the investigation deputies indicate they learned Kilburn sometimes stayed at Traveler’s Motel on North Locust Avenue. A deputy made his way to the establishment and learned that Kilburn had stayed there Saturday night, but that she had checked out Sunday.

   It was around 2:00 p.m. when emergency personnel were notified that a woman’s body had been found floating in a small lake situated in a wooded area at near 14 Grinnell Drive. The discovery was made by a friend and a sheriff’s department investigator. They indicated that the woman was floating face-down.

   Members of the rescue squad were summoned to the scene. They worked to remove the body from the water. County Coroner Larry Glass was at the scene, as well.

   The body was transported by ambulance to Crockett Hospital and was then examined by Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Boyd. An autopsy was then ordered and the body dispatched to Nashville.

   At the current time the case remains under investigation.

 

.

.