Missing man sought in Mason County last seen in Ohio River

POINT PLEASANT, WV (WOWK) – Authorities in Point Pleasant are asking for the public’s help locating a missing man.

According to Mason County Emergency Management Director Jeremy Bryant, Daniel Higginbotham was last seen near the Ohio River just north of the Point Pleasant Riverfront Park. He was reported missing Tuesday.

Higginbotham, 40, of Point Pleasant, is described as standing 5’6″ and weighing approximately 165lbs with thinning brown hair and blue eyes. he also has a slight, brown beard.

The Point Pleasant Police Department, a couple of Higginbotham’s friends last saw him swimming in the river between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., but when they returned to the area, he was nowhere to be found. The PPPD says they were not made aware that he had been in the water, or was possibly missing, until Tuesday around 11 a.m.

On Wednesday, the Gallia County Sheriff’s Office launched their boat equipped with underwater sonar to assist in the search for Higginbotham. The PPPD says the GCSO searched the area he was last seen, along the floodwall and to the Kanawha River, but found no sign of Higginbotham.

Bryant says authorities are on the river searching for Higginbotham with cadaver dogs. The PPD says the team assisting is the K-9 Cadaver Dog Team out of Spencer, West Virginia.

Anyone with any information on Higginbotham’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Point Pleasant Police Department at 304-675-1104 or the Mason County 911 non-emergency number at 304-675-9911.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOWK 13 News.