Police close one lane of traffic Thursday on I-24 at Clarks River in Paducah to investigate a previously hidden crash scene. Joe T. Ford, 64, of Paducah, who had been reported missing two days before, was discovered dead in his vehicle at the scene.
The body of a missing Paducah man has been discovered in the wreckage of a vehicle off of Interstate 24.
According to a McCracken County Sheriff’s Office release, deputies responded about 9:30 a.m. Thursday to a report of vehicle tracks leading from I-24 onto the eastbound grassy shoulder at the 13.5-mile marker near Clarks River.
The tracks reportedly led into a wooded area and down a large, overgrown embankment. Police say Joe T. Ford, 64, of Paducah, was found deceased inside his 2010 GMC Arcadia, which was turned up on its side on the riverbank.
Investigators believe the vehicle veered off of the interstate onto the shoulder and then down the embankment. The truck overturned after striking several trees, and remained unseen from the interstate in an area overgrown with trees and brush. Police do not know what caused the vehicle to veer from the road.
Family members reported Ford missing on Tuesday, after his wife was unable to reach him. According to MCSO, the crash appeared to have occurred Tuesday; its cause remains under investigation. The state medical examiner is scheduled to perform an autopsy Friday.
The McCracken County Coroner’s Office, Reidland Farley Fire Department, Hendron Fire Department, Mercy Regional EMS, the Paducah Police Department, Handleys Wrecker Service and the Kentucky Department of Highways assisted at the scene. Traffic was reduced to one lane for about three hours at the crash site.