Trooper Frederick F. Guthrie Jr.

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   August 2011

On August 1, 2011, Trooper Frederick F. Guthrie Jr. and his Patrol K-9 Reed were assigned to Missouri River flood duty. They were working in the area of Big Lake on Missouri Highway 118 at Missouri Highway 111 in Holt County, Missouri, when they were apparently swept away by swift flood water.

At approximately 6:25 p.m. on Tuesday August 2, 2011, K-9 Reed was located in swift moving flood water approximately 100 yards from where Tpr. Guthrie's patrol truck and boat were located. K-9 Reed was a five-year veteran with the Patrol.

On September 28, 2011, Colonel Ron Replogle, then-superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, regretfully announced the official death of Tpr. Fred Guthrie Jr. This announcement followed the issuance of Letters of Independent Administration by Platte County Associate Circuit Judge James Van Amburg to Trooper Guthrie's wife. Judge Van Amburg issued the letters after hearing evidence and declaring that Tpr. Guthrie was killed in the line of duty on August 1, 2011.

The search for Tpr. Guthrie continued for months. On January 12, 2012, Tpr. Guthrie's body was recovered under approximately 3 1/2 feet of packed sand and silt, after a brush pile was removed during an excavation process. The recovery site was south of where K-9 Reed was found months earlier, near the original search site.

Trooper Frederick F. Guthrie Jr., 46, was the 30th member of the Missouri State Highway Patrol to make the ultimate sacrifice while serving and protecting the citizens of Missouri. He was survived by his wife and three children.

 
 

 
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Missouri Association of State Troopers Emergency Relief Society
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