Swansea man resting at home after going missing

SWANSEA, Ill. – Bill Crispin is home and resting, and Tuesday was his first day eating solid foods. Crispin was found Saturday, Aug. 30, a week after going missing.

Authorities said Crispin he walked away from an independent living facility in Swansea.

The nonprofit Missouri Valley Search & Rescue located Crispin last Saturday morning.

“It comes down to boots on the ground and actually putting your eyes on as much dirt as possible and that's how he was discovered,” Deputy Chief Michael Lawrence, Missouri Valley Search & Rescue, said.

Lawrence used a machete to hack away at some heavy brush near a cornfield, leading him to find the missing 68-year-old.

“Our grid was actually the cornfield, specifically. He was found in the woods adjacent to the cornfield,” he said. “And that's part of why we train so hard for these types of events, because if we had just stayed on the cornfield, we would not have the presence of mind to actually go into the woods and make sure our borders are cleared.”

An extensive search by law enforcement led to no results. But a week after he went missing, MVSR members and volunteers came face-to-face with a very dehydrated Crispin.

“I think everybody is in the same boat, because you come back from, we're not going to find him to not only did we find him but he's alive and he's going to be okay,” Christopher Kehrer, Crispin’s nephew, said. “It's prayers answered. It's a blessing, yeah.”

Crispin’s family said the retired agriculture lawyer is resting, rehydrating, and thankful to be home.