Missing MS Coast man found dead in Alabama near where his truck was found
The search for Joseph “Joe” Ladnier ended Friday when authorities announced that he had been found dead on the road where his abandoned truck had been found in Mobile County.
His family was notified prior to this report that members of the United Cajun Navy and their dogs, in conjunction with Jackson County K-9, had found his remains.
The investigation is continuing.
The Mobile County Sheriff’s Department had previously taken over the search for Ladnier, a 60-year-old Hurley man who had been missing since Christmas Eve morning, on Thursday.
Investigators got involved after Ladnier’s red Toyota Tundra truck was found Thursday in the 9100 block of Chunchula Landfill Road in Chunchula, Alabama, a town about 20 miles northwest of Mobile, on Thursday, according to information released Friday by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Department.
Mobile County Road and Bridge personnel found the truck backed into an “abandoned driveway.”
Brian Thrasher, vice president of United Cajun Navy, said Ladnier’s body was found in the wooded area near a cell tower about 200 yards from where his truck had been parked.
Inside Ladnier’s truck, Mobile sheriff’s investigators found a pillow, a computer bag with a laptop, $146 in cash and an empty pistol holder.
Southern Star Search and Rescue members brought canines to search the area, with the dogs tracking Ladnier’s scent to a home at 8551 Chunchula Landfill Road. According to investigators, that home appeared to have been vacant for some time but still had electricity.
There was no evidence to suggest Ladnier had entered that home.
After a seven-hour search with canines and drones, Mobile County sheriff’s detectives suspended the search by Friday but continued to ask for tips about any reported sighting.
Authorities have not indicated whether the case is being treated as a homicide.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department initially headed up the search for Ladnier, a former law enforcement officer and Navy veteran.
His daughter, Taylor Manning, told the Sun Herald that his family — which includes his wife, Lori, and his 10 adult children and 14 grandchildren — had been searching for him and chasing any possible leads.
“The family has remained strong and faithful that he will be found and returned home safely. We have received immense support from surrounding communities,” Manning said.
As the days passed since his disappearance, his family grew more and more concerned because Ladnier was a kidney transplant recipient who needed to take daily anti-rejection medication.
Ladnier owned a gym in Hurley and is a fitness coach.
Sun Herald Staffer Hannah Ruhoff contributed to this report.
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