The patrol has reported the death of a 33-year-old Mtn. Grove man who reportedly drowned at 11:30 a.m. Thursday after entering the Gasconade River about a quarter-mile west of E Highway in Wright County.
Preston J. Jarrett was attempting to retrieve an item from the center of the river, submerged and didn't resurface, reported Cpl. J.R. Roberts with the patrol, Troop G in Willow Springs. Jarrett reportedly was not using a floatation device at the time.
His body was later recovered by the Missouri State Highway Patrol Dive Team and nearly 24 hours after he entered the water, at 11:26 a.m., Wright County Coroner Ben Hurtt pronounced Jarrett dead.
The death is the second drowning fatality reported in the nine-county Troop G area to date this year, compared to zero in the same time frame in 2023.
Roberts was assisted at the scene by patrol Lt. D.S. Larson; Msgt. B.D. Foster; Sgt. A.R. Johnson; Cpl. C.P. Chatman; Sgts. C.W. Hoff and L.B. Monahan; Cpl. D.A. Bartlett; Tprs. C.W. Tierney, A. Rice, J.L. Dedmon, Z.B. Tate and C.K. Johnson; and Cpls. T.L. Brown and S.J. Crewse. Conservation Agent J. Emery and the Wright County Sheriff's Department also assisted.
