The Mark Twain National Forest needs your help in identifying individuals seen in photos and videos stealing from the Marcoot Lookout Tower near Bunker, Missouri in 2021. They are suspected of removing the Osborne Fire Finder, an essential device which assists lookouts in pinpointing the exact location of smoke cross referenced with a map. They are historical items and are very difficult to replace.
If you have any information that can help catch these thieves, please call the Mark Twain National Forest’s Patrol Captain Casey Hutsell at 573-341-7463.
Several videos of the thieves are posted on the Forest’s Facebook page in the comment section of the post about this incident.
After photos were posted about a burglary at a lookout tower in Oregon in August, one of the suspects was arrested and later indicted by a Grand Jury. In that case the thieves stole batteries, electronic equipment, and solar panels used to power the tower’s fire detection camera.
I wonder if there has been progress with this case?
One has to wonder what motivates somebody to steal not only a fire finder but a toilet as well…
Why did it take a year for these photos to be released for publication? I’d think immediate release would be more productive in finding the crooks.