Unionville Man Drowns at Thousand Hills Park
A Unionville man drowned at Forest Lake in Adair County on Monday.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 64-year-old Steven R. Puckett of Unionville, left a Misty Harbor Pontoon boat voluntarily to rescue another swimmer at Thousand Hills State Park around 1:45 p.m. Monday. Puckett went under water and never resurfaced. The MSHP Dive Team was deployed using sonar, and Puckett was later pronounced dead at 9:50 a.m. Tuesday by Adair County Coroner Brian Noe.
The Patrol noted that Puckett was not wearing a flotation device at the time of the incident.
According to reporting by KTVO-TV, a 67-year-old woman, identified as Marlys Oglesby of Unionville, was reportedly rescued by bystanders. It appeared as though the two were swimming off the boat they were on, in a no-swimming zone in the deepest part of the lake, about 45 feet.
Puckett's body was taken to Travis Noe Funeral Home in Kirksville.
The Missouri Department of Conservation, Kirksville Police, Kirksville Fire, Adair County Fire, Adair County Ambulance and Macon County Water Rescue assisted the five Troopers and two Park Rangers on scene.
This was Troop B's first drowning for August, and the third for 2021.