Search and rescue crews Friday afternoon recovered the body of the operator of a front-end loader who went missing Thursday evening.
The 74-year-old operator was identified as Paul Ritola, a longtime county resident who lived near the Tebo gravel pit, which is at 24810 N.E. 92nd Ave.
There were apparently no witnesses to the accident.
When Ritola did not return home for dinner Thursday, family members went to the nearby Tebo Pit, where he had been working, and found the accident scene.
Divers and technical rescue team members responded at 8:45 p.m. Thursday and found the loader on its side in 6 to 8 feet of murky water.
