LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
Edgar County Coroner Scott Barrett has confirmed the remains of a Dana, Ind., man missing since Saturday evening, Aug. 19, were found in Edgar County.
Barrett said all evidence indicates Josh E. Musser, 48, Dana, died immediately of injuries from a motorcycle accident Saturday evening.
The coroner explained 911 dispatchers were notified at 12:11 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22, the body and motorcycle were found in a cornfield adjacent to state Route 1, approximately one mile north of 1800th Road.
An Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) worker reported to dispatch he stopped at the location to pick up a broken telephone box that was lying in a ditch. While walking back to his vehicle, he discovered a deceased man and a motorcycle in the nearby cornfield.
The Edgar County Sheriff’s Department, Illinois State Police and the Edgar County Coroner responded to the call. Musser was pronounced dead at the scene by the coroner.
Barrett confirmed evidence at the scene shows the 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by Musser was traveling northbound on state Route 1. For an unknown reason, the motorcycle crossed the southbound lane and entered the ditch on the west side of the roadway, struck a telephone box and continued into the cornfield where Musser was ejected from the motorcycle.
Additional investigation revealed Musser’s friends and family had not seen or heard from him since the evening of Aug. 19 and were actively trying to locate him.
The accident remains under investigation by the Illinois State Police, Edgar County Sheriff’s Department, and the Edgar County Coroner.