The 73-year-old dentist who never returned home from the Kansas dental practice where he worked has been found dead in Missouri, according to a press release posted June 15 on Facebook by the Overland Park Police Department in Kansas.
Dr. Steven Lieurance, who was last seen at 4 p.m. on June 2, was found in the vehicle, which was submerged in Table Rock Lake, a popular attraction in Branson, MO, in the Ozark Mountains. A recreational diver made the discovery and informed police, according to the press release.
Dr. Steven Lieurance.Overland Park Police Department/Facebook.
Missouri Highway Patrol dive teams subsequently recovered Lieurance’s vehicle and located a body inside. Shortly thereafter, the body was positively identified as Lieurance.
The dentist’s next of kin has been notified, and the family has requested privacy, according to the press release. No other details were provided.
On June 11 -- nearly a week and a half after he went missing -- authorities in Kansas asked the public for their assistance in locating Lieurance. He was last seen driving a 2008 silver Mercedes-Benz convertible, leaving the Olathe, KS, practice where he worked.
Some leads suggested that Lieurance was traveling through Reeds Spring, MO. However, at that time, a search of the area yielded no signs of Lieurance or his vehicle. It is not clear why Lieurance would have been traveling to Missouri.
While the search continued, former patients prayed for his safe return and remembered Lieurance for being kind and funny.
