On Wednesday morning, the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office and Lawrence County Sheriff’s Dive Team organized a search for missing Steven Liles. Along with the officers were volunteers from the Walnut Ridge Fire Department, Walnut Ridge Police Department, Hoxie Fire Department, Black River Search and Rescue and Alicia Fire Department.
Deputies and volunteers utilized all terrain vehicles to cover the farm roads surrounding the area in which Steven Liles was last scene. Searchers focused on the area of Shirey Bay and the Lawrence 550 and 547 area. Searchers covered thousands of acres of farm fields with close to a dozen atv’s along with multiple family members in the area as well.
Late Wednesday evening a tip came in to the searchers about a possible area of travel. Searchers shifted the search towards the Lawrence 543 area close to Village Creek. Deputies had gathered clothing and footwear descriptions from the family and friends who last saw Liles. Deputies soon located footprints along a field that matched the description of those worn by Liles. The prints were tracked by officers along a tree line and into a wooded area where Steven Liles body was found. Liles body was taken by the Lawrence County Coroner and will be sent to Little Rock for an autopsy.
Investigators have not released a cause of death but stated no foul play was suspected at this time. For more information on the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office visit www.lawrencecountysheriffsoffice.com.
Sheriff Dotson stated that he wanted to “Thank†the family and volunteers, Chief Richy Thatcher and the Walnut Ridge Police Department, Chief Frank Owens and the Walnut Ridge Fire Department, the Hoxie and Alicia Fire Departments and anyone else that assisted the Deputies and Dive Team in the search effort.