Officials: Nebraska farmer died in weekend blizzard

TECUMSEH, Neb. (AP) - Authorities say a 78-year-old Tecumseh farmer whose truck got stuck in the midst of a blizzard last weekend died of exposure.

The Beatrice Daily Sun reports that LeRoy Holthus was reported missing Sunday after a neighbor found his unoccupied pickup truck stuck in a ditch.

Johnson County Attorney Rick Smith said Friday that law enforcement and a police dog tried to find Holthus on Sunday night, but blowing snow and darkness thwarted their efforts. The area received as much as 9 inches of snow by Monday morning.

Road crews helped deputies clear snow drifts in their search Monday morning. Holthus’ body was found at 8:30 a.m. about 150 yards northeast of his truck at a grain bin site. Preliminary autopsy results indicate Holthus died of hypothermia.

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Information from: Beatrice Sun, http://www.beatricedailysun.com