The body of John Villines was found Monday in a debris pile along Crooked Creek -- 20.7 miles downstream from Lake Harrison, said Boone County Sheriff Mike Moore.
"Unbelievable," Moore said. "We searched even past there just for the possibility, but we didn't expect them to be that far."
Moore said the state Crime Laboratory positively identified Villines' body Tuesday by using his dental records.
John and Amy Villines of Harrison disappeared after a Nov. 30 flash flood swept their SUV off Highland Avenue, just south of Capps Road. The vehicle was found lodged against a bridge over a drainage ditch near Ridge Avenue, about a half-mile from the lake. One window was broken out.
Authorities believe the couple escaped from the vehicle but water carried them downstream, through a tunnel under downtown Harrison and into Lake Harrison.
For much of December, the city drained the lake but the bodies weren't found. That meant that the bodies could have been washed over the weir, or low dam, and farther down Crooked Creek. John Villines' T-shirt, sweatpants and wallet were found below the weir on Crooked Creek shortly after the search began.
Moore said the search continues for Amy Villines.
"We've got people in kayaks, we've got people walking," he said. "The state police has people out using drones."
Moore said a local man just happened to walk up on a debris pile, saw something that didn't look right and called the sheriff's office.
"There was enough exposed to cause this gentleman some concern," Moore said.
He said every debris pile in the area will be dismantled in the search for Amy Villines.
"You hate to find someone deceased, but you want to help the family get closure," he said. "It's a tough ordeal."
Harrison Mayor Jerry Jackson said the city spent about $75,000 to drain the lake. He expects the total cost to be less than $100,000.
"We do have a little more to do in repairing the lake," he said.
The mayor said the lake is normally drained every few years to clean it out. The lake, which is next to downtown Harrison, is formed by the weir on Crooked Creek.
A news release from the sheriff's office said the body was found along Crooked Creek near McDonald Road, which is about 8 miles east of Harrison as the crow flies, but 20.7 miles by boat in the creek.
State Desk on 02/06/2019