An Illinois man was sent for a mental evaluation after going missing late Monday along the Niagara River in Lewiston.
Richard B. Mayers, 35, of Berwyn, Ill., was found Tuesday after a 20-hour search conducted by Lewiston Police, Niagara County Sheriff’s Department divers, the Coast Guard and other agencies on both sides of the border.
The search began shortly after Lewiston Police received a call at 7:17 p.m. Monday of an abandoned car on Lower River Road, Sgt. Frank Previte said. Investigators found sneakers, a shirt and towel along the shoreline near the car, he said, and bloodhounds tracked a person as going from the car to the river.
“That raised our interest, the fact that someone was in the water,” he said.
Several agencies conducted a search into Tuesday, including Lewiston Fire Co. No. 1 and Border Patrol. A person was spotted in the water shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday who turned out to be Mayers, Previte said.
Several clues — including the fact that he waved off a boat near him and his stable physical condition — led officials to question his whereabouts during the duration of the search.
“It seemed kind out of place,” Previte said. “We don’t know where he spent the night ... we don’t believe he spent the entire night in water.”
Mayers was evasive upon questioning, Previte said, insisting on having a lawyer present because he thought he was in trouble.
“He really wouldn’t give us any answers,” he said.
Mayers was not charged with any crimes and was sent to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center for an evaluation based in part on his family’s indication of past mental health issues, Previte said. An official at the hospital could not confirm his condition Wednesday evening, but said that not all patients admitted for such reasons are entered into the hospital’s computer system.
While the matter is considered a closed missing persons case, Previte was left confused as to exactly why things happened the way they did.
“We have no idea what he was doing in the area,” he said. “It’s a good twist. Usually, we don’t get these kinds of endings.”
Contact reporter Paul Lane at 282-2311, ext. 2251.
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