The body of a man from Mississippi who was reported missing on Christmas Eve was found and identified on Chunchula Landfill Road, according to the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office.
Joseph Edwin Ladnier, 60, planned to visit his son in Moss Point, Mississippi, but never showed up, according to Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. He was last seen the morning of Christmas Eve in Wilmer, Alabama. The search for Ladnier was transferred to Mobile County’s jurisdiction on Thursday.
Ladnier’s red 2004 Toyota Tundra was found Thursday afternoon on Chunchula Landfill Road in Chunchula, Alabama, according to releases from authorities in Mobile and Jackson counties. The vehicle was backed into an abandoned driveway and was discovered by Mobile County Road and Bridge Personnel.
A pillow, laptop, $146 in cash and a pistol holder with no pistol were found in the truck, and it was transported by a towing service to Mobile County Sheriff’s Office’s property division.
MCSO Special Operations Unit personnel and members of a search team conducted a search of the area using multiple K-9′s, which tracked the scent of what they believed to be the missing person to 8551 Chunchula Landfill Road, authorities said. There was no evidence that Ladnier had been in the vacant residence.
MCSO said detectives terminated the search after seven hours of searching with K-9′s and drones.
On Friday afternoon, his body was found on Chunchula Landfill Road, both agencies said.
“The Mobile County Sheriff’s Department is in charge of the investigation,” Jackson authorities posted on their Facebook page. “There is no information on the cause of de*ath at this time. We extend our condolences to the Ladnier family.”
