Richie Myers: Man found dead at Bartlett Lake near massive wildfire
MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. - Close to the Wildcat Fire on Sunday night, rescue crews found the body of a 46-year-old missing man who went by the name Richie Myers.
Richie Josef, whose real name is Richard Myers, was last seen walking near Bartlett Lake on Saturday, May 18, around 4 p.m., and then vanished.
He had been missing for more than 24 hours before his body was discovered.
His friends were forced to leave the lake after he went missing because of wildfire evacuations. Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies used boats, sonar, and a helicopter to find him.
Authorities said the fire did not have any impact on the search.
MCSO releases details leading up to Richie's death
On Sunday, his body was found in Bartlett Lake, MCSO said.
"She was able to show us the location Richie was last seen at. This location was within the Bartlett flats area. A search of the area was conducted as well as speaking with all campers of the Bartlett Bash group which Richie was a part of," MCSO Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez said of the friend, McKenzie Philbrick, who reported Richie missing.
Richie reportedly was walking back and forth between campsites and was "partying."
"McKenzie was able to show us a rock finger which protrudes out from the shore into the open water. She stated this is where Richie was last seen," Sgt. Enriquez said.
When night fell on Saturday, the search was brought to a halt. It picked back up on Sunday when the sheriff's office didn't hear that Richie had been found.
"Deputies returned to the area and were able to reach the location where three abnormalities were observed when using the sonar on the boat. MCSO’s ROV was deployed in an attempt to locate the body," Sgt. Enriquez said.
That's when Richie's body was found in the water. The medical examiner took custody of his body.
"Richie had scratches on his ears and redness on his left eye. It appeared Richie tried to walk along a rock formation on the water line and possibly fell, hitting his head and going into the water," Sgt. Enriquez said.
This case is under investigation, and Sgt. Enriquez says at this time foul play isn't suspected, but alcohol may be a factor.