Missing Indiana couple found in Esmeralda County; man dead
An Indiana couple that disappeared while traveling through Nevada has been found in a rural area of the state, authorities said, with family of the couple saying on a Facebook search update thread that one has died but one is alive.
The Nye County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that it assisted in the search for Ron Barker, 72, and Beverly Barker, 69.
“This couple has been located and is no longer considered missing,” the sheriff’s office said Tuesday night, referring further questions to the Esmeralda County Sheriff’s Office.
A deputy who answered the phone at the Esmeralda County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday morning a press release on the status of the couple would be issued later in the day by authorities there.
Ron and Beverly Barker were last known to be in either Coledale or Dyer, Nevada, on March 27 at 10:16 p.m. The couple was traveling in a 2015 Forest River Sunseeker Class C motorhome with Indiana tag C128H. They were towing a 2020 Kia Soul LX.
At 10:12 p.m. on Tuesday, nephew Travis Peters posted on a heavily trafficked search update thread on Facebook that there was tragic news to report.
“Guys…this is going to be brief,” Peters wrote. “I’m very sorry to say that rescue teams have located my Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Beverly. My Uncle Ronnie I am sad to say has passed away. Beverly is ‘doing ok’ and is being airlifted to Reno as I type this.”
Peters said the RV was found in an area “west of Silver Peak” in Esmeralda County.
“All I can tell you all is that the RV was found stuck in the mud and is way up the mountain there,” Peters wrote. “Unfortunately Ron and Bev were not in the RV, and the Kia was gone.”
Peters said the couple’s family members were traveling Wednesday morning to Reno to find out more about the condition of Beverly Barker.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow
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