ST. LOUIS — Volunteers and state troopers were searching for a man last seen standing on ice floating in the Missouri River near Washington, Missouri.
Family said they haven't heard from Aaron Duenke since Tuesday.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said he was seen floating downstream on ice on Tuesday, but he was not in distress. No known witnesses saw him enter the river, but family members lost contact with him.
A MSHP spokesman said troopers could not safely search the river with boats Wednesday because of the ice, but troopers were searching the wooded areas along the river.
Duenke was wearing dark clothing when he was last seen. He frequently used the river for recreation.
Volunteers were organizing a search effort with social media. Paddle Stop Brewery was a staging location for volunteers.
Video posted on social media claims to show Duenke floating on the river. Emergency sirens are heard in the background, but the man in the video is calmly standing on the ice.
"He was just kind of a thrill seeker," Aaron's brother Curtis Duenke tells 5 On Your Side, "that's what he did you know. He did this last year, he told me and I was like, yeah that sounds just like ya. Be careful."
Duenke says his brother is very familiar with the water. Aaron participated in a few M-340 river races, where kayakers and paddleboarders travel across the state along the Missouri river.
Aaron Duenke is a husband and father of two. "I think if he is on the shore somewhere, he's pretty tough," Curtis tells 5 On Your Side, "It was pretty cold the first night, so I don't know. But it has to be worth a shot."
The search was near an area of the Missouri River where a paraglider crashed in October. Kenny Loudermilk has not been seen or heard from since witnesses said he went into the water.