A 77-year-old man from New York State has died after he was found in a remote area of rural Peoria County.
Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins said officials in Green Island, N.Y. contacted his office Tuesday after the GPS in John Dubaic's RV pinged near Elmore, which is in western Peoria County near the Knox County line.
Dubaic left New York state on July 13 and last contacted his family on the 15th.
A tree was fallen on the RV when it was spotted by detectives searching by drone, suggesting the vehicle had been there since before last week's powerful storms, Watkins said.
Several other agencies were called in to help look for Dubaic when he wasn't found with his RV. That included Peoria County Search and Rescue, Knox County Search and Rescue, Tazewell County Search and Rescue, Mercer County Search and Rescue, Woodford County EMA, and McLean County Search and Rescue.
Dubaic was found just after 5 p.m. Tuesday in the brush near the Spoon River, off Cedar Bluff Road. Watkins said he was breathing, but not alert. The coroner was called when lifesaving measures failed, the sheriff said.
