Arnold P. Barnett [FOUND DECEASED]

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MISSING MAN: Search continues for missing man

Lockport man left home Wednesday and has not been heard from since
By April Amadon/amadona@gnnewspaper.com
Niagara Gazette

As the search for Arnold P. Barnett continues, State Police Investigator John DiPasquale said Monday troopers are looking into the possibility that he drove off a road somewhere in the county.

Barnett, 57, of Locust Street Extension, Lockport, was reported missing at 6 p.m. Thursday, when his wife reported he hadn’t been seen in over 24 hours. Chairman of special education at Pembroke Central School District, Barnett reportedly left home about noon Wednesday to go to the Seneca Niagara Casino.

Troopers contacted Seneca Niagara State Police Investigator Michael Kozlowski, who said an internal investigation revealed Barnett last used his Casino Players Account at a “Let it Ride” table at 12:50 a.m. Thursday. A check of the casino’s parking areas and nearby city streets failed to turn anything up.

Troopers checked roads leading to and from the casino, including Lockport Road, the LaSalle Expressway, routes 31 and 104, River Road and Upper Mountain Road. They checked side streets around the casino and area hotel parking lots.

They also checked state and town parks on and around Route 18 near Lake Ontario. The search included state police helicopters.

Police have also checked the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport’s parking lots, local hospitals, jails, holding centers and the Pembroke High School parking lot, as well as all Batavia hotels and motels.

In addition, police contacted Canadian and U.S. customs and found no record of Barnett entering Canada. Bridge officials on both sides of the border have been told to activate a “hit” if the car attempts to cross the border.

Barnett’s wife told state troopers he did not appear despondent when he left Wednesday and he does not have a cell phone. In addition, she told police Saturday that Barnett’s credit cards and EZ-Pass have not been used since early Thursday.

“We’re checking everything we can possibly think of,” State Trooper William Higgins said. “We’re getting tips now that it’s been in the media, sightings of him and the car. We’re checking everything out and there’s been no developments.”

Troopers talked with a Day Road man, a good friend of Barnett’s, who said that for Barnett to leave and not call his wife would be very out of character.

When he left home, Barnett was wearing blue jeans and a brown leather jacket. He is described as 5-feet-6, 150 pounds with gray hair, brown eyes and glasses. He was driving a white, two-door 1998 Buick Riviera, registered to his wife, with a license plate BNM 6843.

DiPasquale said members of Barnett’s family have traveled from Long Island to help with the search. Barnett’s friends — including members of Medina’s Shelridge Country Club, where he plays golf — have also joined the search.

Anyone with information about Barnett’s whereabouts is asked to call the state police Lockport barracks at 434-5588.


http://www.niagara-gazette.com/local/local_story_035182344.html

[wheezer]

This is where I live, and I have not heard a word about this case. Maybe I missed it.

[wheezer]

Published: February 03, 2008 10:03 pm

MISSING: Arnold Barnett, of Lockport, last seen Thursday in Niagara Falls area
By Nicole Coleman/colemann@gnnewspaper.com

Police are looking for a City of Lockport resident last seen leaving the Niagara Falls area in his vehicle at 1:40 a.m. Thursday.

Arnold P. Barnett, 57, is known throughout the community as a district administrator in the Pembroke Central School System.

Friends and family have not spoken with him since his disappearance, said Trooper John DiPasquale with the New York State Police Lockport Station. Barnett has not answered his cell phone or used any of his credit cards.

“No contact with work, no contact with friends or family that we’re aware of,” DiPasquale said. “We’ve been actively searching for him. There’s a possibility his vehicle may have gone off the roadway. We’re not ruling out the possibility he may have been involved in a motor vehicle accident.”

Lockport state and local police have notified the Niagara Falls Police Department, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department and the New York State Parks Police who have been aiding in the search. Helicopters have combed the surrounding area a number of times, DiPasquale said. There is no indication at this time that Barnett deliberately disappeared.

Barnett’s extended family members have traveled from Long Island to participate in private search parties, DiPasquale said.

Friends of Barnett’s have also been out searching for him, including members of Medina’s Shelridge Country Club where he plays golf.

“There are a lot of steps that have been taken,” DiPasquale said. “We’re trying to confirm if he is out there, using a credit card.”

Barnett was driving a white 1998 Buick Riviera with New York State License Plate BNM 6843. He is 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds, with white hair and brown eyes.

The Barnett family has stated it is extremely out of character that he did not return home, DiPasquale said. Information about his whereabouts should be directed to the New York State Lockport Police Station at (716) 434-5588.

http://www.journal-register.com/local/local_story_034220357.html

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MISSING MAN: Barnett's body found in Youngstown

Five-day search ends with discovery of Buick
By April Amadon/amadona@gnnewspaper.com
Niagara Gazette

Two men fishing along the banks of the Niagara River near Church Street Tuesday morning brought to a close the search for a missing Lockport man.

Partially down the embankment, lodged up against a tree, the two men discovered the white Buick Riveria New York State Police, as well as the friends and family of Arnold P. Barnett, had been searching for since Thursday.

About 100 feet away, police found Barnett.

“(The body) had identification ... that leads us to believe that it definitely is him,” State Police Capt. Craig Hanesworth said.

It appeared Barnett, 57, of Locust Street Extension, was driving east on Church Street and went straight through the “T” intersection with Main Street.

“There’s a little field there, a vacant lot, and he traveled through that,” Hanesworth said. “Right at the end of that is the embankment for the river.”

Police don’t now why it happened. The car did not make it to the water and it appears Barnett was able to get out of the car after the crash..

“It doesn’t look like he was ejected,” Hanesworth said. “We think he got out of the vehicle and made it 100 feet. ... He could have walked. We found him by the creek bend there.”

The cause of death had not been determined, Foul play isn’t believed to be a factor and investigators don’t know if Barnett was intoxicated at the time of the crash.

Hanesworth said Barnett suffered injuries in the accident, but he did not know how severe they were. The Erie County Medical Examiner’s office will conduct an autopsy today.

“A lot of it will depend on what the coroner’s examination (says),” Hanesworth said, adding it will also determine how long Barnett had been dead before he was found.

Barnett had left home about noon Wednesday to go to Seneca Niagara Casino. His wife reported him missing Thursday night after he did not return home.

For now, investigators believe the accident occurred as early as Thursday.

“I think there’s a good possibility that when he left the casino on Thursday morning, that he somehow ended up in that location,” Hanesworth said.

Investigators are unsure why Barnett traveled to Youngstown after leaving the casino.

Hanesworth said he is “not familiar” with unconfirmed reports of Barnett losing money at the casino.

A casino spokesperson said Barnett had lost some money but was actually ahead on his Casino Players Account.

Seneca Niagara State Police Investigator Michael Kozlowski told police an internal investigation revealed Barnett last used his Casino Players Account at a “Let it Ride” table at 12:50 a.m. Thursday.

Barnett was chairman of special education at the Pembroke Central School District.

http://www.niagara-gazette.com/local/local_story_036181954.html

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I was so afraid this was going to turn out bad.
He just did not hit me as the type of man that would walk away. Plus believe it or not this is a pretty safe area. The Buffalo City Limits are like most cities, but the surrounding towns, villages, and cities are relatively safe.
Prayers for his family and friends.

[emmeblu]

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[Texas53]

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Missing administrator found dead
By The Associated Press
Wednesday, February 6, 2008 12:00 PM EST

YOUNGSTOWN - A missing school administrator was found dead Tuesday near his vehicle beside the lower Niagara River at the bottom of an embankment.
Arnold Barnett, 57, of Lockport was reported missing by his wife after failing to return home from the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, where he had spent Wednesday evening.

State police investigators said fishermen spotted Barnett's car Tuesday at the river's edge in Youngstown. His body was found about 100 feet away.

Barnett, director of special education in the Pembroke School District, was seen on video walking out of the casino and driving away Thursday.

Investigators said preliminary findings indicate that Barnett drove past a stop sign at a T intersection in the village, jumped a curb, and plunged about 50 feet down a bank.

It appears he may have left his car to get help, collapsed, and succumbed to exposure.

"There are still a lot of questions," Senior Investigator Craig Wing said. He said it appears to have been an accident.

http://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2008/02/06/state_news/state05.txt

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