Missing man on bayou found safe

INDEPENDENCE COUNTY, Ark. (KAIT) - The Independence County Sheriff’s Office said a man who was last seen floating on a bayou north of Batesville has been found safe.

According to an incident report, a man told deputies that Daniel Keller was with several friends who had put inner tubes into a bayou in Sharp County on Sunday.

Friends said during the trip that Keller said he started to feel bad and was going to stop for a bit but would eventually catch back up with the group.

“When they arrived at A rock, they waited for some time but Keller never arrived,” the report said. The group began searching B rock as well. A rock is located near Sandtown Road.

When they could not find Keller, they called Independence County dispatch.

One friend said the last time they had seen Keller was around 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

One of Keller’s friends said that he had his phone so deputies could not ping it to get his location.

The Independence County Office of Emergency Management and Cushman Fire Department were also called to the scene.

Deputies also went to Keller’s home in Batesville and spoke to his mother. She said he has gone missing like this in the past and that they had an argument earlier Sunday morning.