Police in Erie, Pa., found van of missing Farmdale man many hours before he was reported missing, had it towed

Staff report

ERIE, PA.

Divers and firefighters in boats searched the waters off the State Street/East Dobbins Landing pier in downtown Erie on Sunday looking for a missing Farmdale man whose minivan was found by Erie police Feb. 28.

John Peters, 91, of Sodom Hutchings Road was not found. Farmdale is near Kinsman.

Police in Erie, Pa., were unaware the van belonged to a missing man, so Trumbull County authorities only learned of the van being found Sunday, Erie Police Chief Donald Dacus said.

One of his officers spotted the van with both tires over the edge of the pier and had it towed about 2:30 a.m. Feb. 28.

Peters had not yet been entered in the national missing-persons database, Dacus said, so they weren’t aware the van might be connected to a missing person.

Dacus said no additional search was underway Monday, but the Erie Fire Department was talking about bringing in a boat with an underwater camera to continue the search.