LAYTON, Utah — The family of a Layton man is worried after he went missing in northwestern Arizona while on a job transporting trailers.
Beau Riddle, a 49-year-old father of six children, is from Layton and has not been heard from since Friday, according to a spokesperson for his family.
Riddle had delivered a fifth-wheel trailer to Littlefield, Arizona on Thursday for his employer, Farm Boy Towing.
The next day, he was going to transport another trailer to Idaho. But his manager Adrianne Nelson said he told her that his truck was overheating and he was having an anxiety attack somewhere in the section of Arizona between Utah and Nevada. She said she arranged for a hotel room for him to stay in and for another driver to come transport the trailer the rest of the way, but then she lost contact around 4:45 p.m. that day.
On Saturday, Riddle's wife reported him missing to Layton Police, who put him in the missing persons database and sent out an "Attempt To Locate" to law enforcement throughout Utah, Arizona and Nevada.
Layton Police Department confirmed to FOX 13 News that Riddle was reported missing Saturday and said the Mohave County Sheriff's Office was in charge of the search.
Riddle's family said the sheriff's office found the missing and possibly stolen trailer on Saturday in Littlefield, which is just southwest of the Virgin River Gorge. Riddle's work truck was not with the trailer, however, and the family said it was found "hidden" behind storage trailers in Littlefield by an "alert motorist" after Riddle's wife posted photos and information on Facebook.
Riddle was not in the truck; Mohave County law enforcement began searching for him using a helicopter and tracking dogs. They are also trying to identify if footprints near the truck are his, according to the family's representative.
“I’m worried there’s been foul play," said John Riddle, his father. "I’m cautiously optimistic but it doesn’t look good."
“I’m so worried about him,” added Kim Riddle, Beau Riddle's wife. “It doesn’t make sense because he is such a perfectionist and always wants to take meticulous care of his vehicles and belongings. He must have been having a mental breakdown to leave the trailer and not tell anyone.”
According to Kim, Beau brew up around Littlefield and is familiar with its surroundings.
"He kind of grew up down here riding dirt bikes, motorcycles, things like that. So I would like other areas looked at, If he happened to, for lack of a better words, took a trip down memory lane?" Said Kim. "I don’t know how he would’ve gotten to these other areas but I’m not gonna say it’s not a possibility until we know it’s not a possibility.”
The missing father is described as 5’6’’, 240 pounds, with brown hair and a closely shaved beard.
Anyone with any information about Riddle's whereabouts is asked to call the Layton Police Department at 801-497-8300 or the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office at 928-768-7055.
Although the truck and trailer have been found, anyone who saw anything suspicious involving them can also pass that information on to investigators. The truck was an orange Dodge Ram with “Farm Boy Towing” painted on the side, and Arizona license plate AL24865. The truck was pulling a white "Rage’N" fifth-wheel trailer with blue striping.
