Member-only story
Patrick Carnes was a fiercely independent and kind grandfatherly figure. In 2011, Patrick was retired, widowed, and contemplating moving from his home in Reno, Nevada to Toledo, Ohio, where he could be closer to family.
In April 2011, he traveled to Toledo to check out some retirement facilities. As usual, his dog Lucky was with him everywhere he went.
He planned out his road trip and hoped to be back in Reno on April 14th.
On April 13, 2011, Patrick was on schedule. He had made it to Nevada. Around 9:00 p.m., he was pulled over on Interstate 80 in Wells, Nevada for failing to move over for a stopped truck. He told the officer he was heading to Elko where he was going to get some sleep.
He specifically told the officer he was following the truck ahead of him because the trucker was going to Elko also.
The officer let Patrick go with a warning and advised him to be sure he moved over for stopped vehicles.
The next morning, around 6:00 am, an ff-duty police dispatcher was heading to work. She noticed a car off the highway and believing there might have been a car accident, called it into the sheriff’s department.
The car was Patrick’s, but there was no sign of him or his dog Lucky anywhere. The scene was…
