Death of Trucker Due to Natural Causes

52-year-old Richard Brewster of Lisco, Nebraska, had not been heard from in three days prior to his vehicle being spotted by another driver for their company at Petro Stopping Center on West Fayette at 9:40pm Tuesday. The fellow trucker asked a Petro employee to contact Effingham City Police, who responded to the scene and found Brewster sitting in the driver's seat of a pickup truck pulling a trailer. The vehicle was parked south of the fuel island at Petro near the vacuums.

The Effingham County Coroner's Office and Abbott EMS were notified and Deputy Coroners Rick Manford and Karen Hoene responded.

Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes said Brewster had taken the trailer he was towing to Texas for drop-off. During transport, the trailer was damaged and the company advised Brewster to return it to Indiana. Brewster stopped at Petro on his way back to Indiana. He talked to his wife at 7am Sunday, and Rhodes said that was the last time anyone is known to have been in contact with him. His family stated Brewster had been ill the past two weeks but had not gone for treatment.

A Facebook posting was released by a relative that if anyone saw the truck and trailer to contact police.

Rhodes said no foul play is involved, and an investigation is pending.