Missing since EU election

77-year-old found dead in his car in the Pinka river

The police and fire department had been searching for the missing man since Sunday. The body was found at around 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

(Bild: Christian Schulter/Ch. Schulter/Krone KREATIV)

The search for a pensioner from the Oberwart district has come to a sad end: the 77-year-old, who had been missing since the EU elections on Sunday, was discovered dead in his car in the Pinka near Kotezicken on Tuesday. The recovery of the body was difficult.

The last sign of life of the 77-year-old from Mischendorf was when the sprightly pensioner left his home at around 10 a.m. on Sunday to cast his vote for the European elections at the municipal office.

Missing since Sunday
Then his trail disappeared. Nobody knew where the man had gone in his green Ford Ranger with Oberwart license plates after voting.

Police alerted
Early on Sunday afternoon, relatives, fellow hunters and members of the fire department began searching for the missing man. His nephew had finally filed a missing person's report with the police.

After the missing person was reported, the police launched a large-scale search with the fire departments from Mischendorf, Kotezicken, Großpetersdorf and Oberwart. The operation was supported from the air with the help of drones and a helicopter.

Death by drowning
At around 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday, it was a sad certainty: the missing man's Ford Ranger was discovered in the muddy Pinka River near Kotezicken. The missing pensioner, the former deputy fire chief, was lying dead in the vehicle. The recovery of the vehicle was difficult. Investigators assume that the 77-year-old drowned. 

After the body was found, a crisis intervention team was immediately on its way to the relatives. There is consternation and deep sadness in the home town of the deceased.