MISSING MAN: Barnett's body found in Youngstown

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February 5, 2008

Five-day search ends with discovery of Buick

By April Amadon/amadona@gnnewspaper.com The Niagara Gazette Tue Feb 05, 2008, 10:01 PM EST

Two men fishing along the banks of the Niagara River near Church Street Tuesday morning brought to a close the search for a missing Lockport man.

Partially down the embankment, lodged up against a tree, the two men discovered the white Buick Riveria New York State Police, as well as the friends and family of Arnold P. Barnett, had been searching for since Thursday.

About 100 feet away, police found Barnett.

“(The body) had identification ... that leads us to believe that it definitely is him,” State Police Capt. Craig Hanesworth said.

It appeared Barnett, 57, of Locust Street Extension, was driving east on Church Street and went straight through the “T” intersection with Main Street.

“There’s a little field there, a vacant lot, and he traveled through that,” Hanesworth said. “Right at the end of that is the embankment for the river.”

Police don’t now why it happened. The car did not make it to the water and it appears Barnett was able to get out of the car after the crash..

“It doesn’t look like he was ejected,” Hanesworth said. “We think he got out of the vehicle and made it 100 feet. ... He could have walked. We found him by the creek bend there.”

The cause of death had not been determined, Foul play isn’t believed to be a factor and investigators don’t know if Barnett was intoxicated at the time of the crash.

Hanesworth said Barnett suffered injuries in the accident, but he did not know how severe they were. The Erie County Medical Examiner’s office will conduct an autopsy today.

“A lot of it will depend on what the coroner’s examination (says),” Hanesworth said, adding it will also determine how long Barnett had been dead before he was found.

Barnett had left home about noon Wednesday to go to Seneca Niagara Casino. His wife reported him missing Thursday night after he did not return home.

For now, investigators believe the accident occurred as early as Thursday.

“I think there’s a good possibility that when he left the casino on Thursday morning, that he somehow ended up in that location,” Hanesworth said.

Investigators are unsure why Barnett traveled to Youngstown after leaving the casino.

Hanesworth said he is “not familiar” with unconfirmed reports of Barnett losing money at the casino.

A casino spokesperson said Barnett had lost some money but was actually ahead on his Casino Players Account.

Seneca Niagara State Police Investigator Michael Kozlowski told police an internal investigation revealed Barnett last used his Casino Players Account at a “Let it Ride” table at 12:50 a.m. Thursday.

Barnett was chairman of special education at the Pembroke Central School District.