The family of a man found dead in late 2021 is still seeking answers regarding his demise, and is now offering a reward for anyone who can help them find those answers.

Richard McCormick was found Dec. 31, 2021, by hunters near a pond off Rayburn Walling Rd. in the Rock Island area, after initially being reported missing on Nov. 25 of that year. 

Over two years later, McCormick’s family is still hopeful someone comes forward with information about Richard’s death, and is offering a reward to anyone who can provide it.

Franklin McCormick, Richard’s father, said his son was last seen at a residence on Jaco St. He and the McCormick family are currently offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case.

“He was killed and thrown in that swamp, and we want to know who did it,” McCormick’s uncle, Jimmy, said. “Where they found him, somebody had to have placed him there. There was no water in his lungs, and they took him two or three miles to dump him.”

“He was trying to text us to come out and help him – he was begging for help,” he added. “But where he was, the messages didn’t get to us until it was too late.”

An autopsy report from Jan. 1, 2022, listed McCormick’s cause of death as drowning, with acute methamphetamine intoxication listed as a contributory cause. The death was listed as an accident, but neither the McCormick family nor local authorities are convinced no criminal activity was involved.

“We’re not comfortable closing the case,” Sheriff Jackie Matheny, Jr. said. “There are what I consider red flags, and until we have definitive answers for the family, we’re going to consider this an open investigation. If any information comes forward, we’ll take all those calls seriously.”

Anyone with any information regarding the case is encouraged to contact Matheny or investigator Spencer Pryor at the Sheriff’s Department.