The search for a missing missing from southwest Iowa has tragically ended with his body being found following a motor vehicle accident in Oklahoma. 80-year old Donald Eugene “Gene” Ripley was found in his van, which was located in a grove of trees, about 100-to 150-feet down a steep embankment off Interstate 35 north of Springer, Oklahoma, between mile markers 46-and-47. The van struck one of the trees. The accident remains under investigation by the Oklahoma State Troopers.

Gene Ripley

Ripley had been missing since the early morning hours of Sept. 3rd, when he left his son’s residence in Uvalde, Texas. His license plate was last recorded in Denton County, Texas, approximately 28 hours after he left Uvalde. Texas authorities issued a silver alert following the initial report of his disappearance. The Page County Sheriff’s Office says they were notified about the accident by authorities in Oklahoma, Thursday afternoon. The Oklahoma Trooper then verified that there was one elderly male deceased in the vehicle. The Trooper identified the deceased male as Donald Eugene Ripley. The Trooper said that notification of the family could be made. Death notification was made with the family given time to notify other family members prior to any release of information to the press from the Page County Sheriff’s Office.

During the missing person search the Page County Sheriff’s Office and PAGECOMM dispatch center worked closely with several agencies following up on leads that came into Law Enforcement agencies as well as agencies along the possible route that Gene would have traveled from his son’s residence in TX to his residence in Page County. The agencies and information sites include:  were the Texas Rangers, Texas Silver Alert Program, Texas Fusion Center, Denton County Texas Sheriff’s Office, Texas Highway patrol, Como County Texas Sheriff’s Office, Spring Branch Texas Police Department, Bulverde Texas Police Department, Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office, Oklahoma State Patrol, Oklahoma Fusion Center, Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, Kansas State Patrol, Kansas Fusion Center, Kansas Turnpike Authority, Clinton County Missouri Sheriff’s Office, United States Border Patrol, National Missing & Unidentified Persons system (NamUs), and the Missing Persons Cases Network.