DECLO, Idaho — This story originally appeared in the Magic Valley Times News.
A missing Burley man was found Monday after he spent 36 hours locked in a park bathroom.
Graydon Jensen, 76, of Burley disappeared after attending a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints singles function at the Declo church, Cassia County Sheriff George Warrell said.
Apparently when driving home after the event Jensen stopped at Declo City Park to use the restroom.
Leslie Warwood of Burley, Jensen’s stepbrother, said the event was a church function but was held at the city park and the city shares liability for what occurred.
While he was inside someone locked the bathroom door from the outside without checking to see if it was occupied first.
Warwood said he reported Jensen as missing to the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office at 6 p.m. on Sunday after Jensen had been missing for more than 24 hours.
Jensen was found by a city employee between 7 and 7:30 a.m. Monday.
By all indications, Warwood said, Jensen seems to be okay.
“He has a much better disposition this morning than I would have if it would have been me,” Warwood said. “I was furious when I found out what had occurred. It could have ended horrifically.”
He said if someone would have checked the park they would have found his blue 2012 Ford Escape parked in front of the bathrooms and cut about 12 hours off his ordeal.
Warrell said deputies were looking for Jensen, but because he’d last been seen at the church, apparently the park restroom was not checked.
“It was one of those cases that is just a freak event,” Warrell said. “Most of the time when we get a missing person’s report, they have driven off somewhere (and) are stuck or broken down in a vehicle.”
Warrell said the incident reminds him of one that happened a few years ago to a snowmobiler in the South Hills who stopped at a restroom and the doorknob came off from the inside leaving him trapped inside. Fortunately, he was able to force the door open.
The sheriff’s office had issued a Facebook statement when Jensen went missing so the public could help watch for him.
“I’m really grateful he’s unharmed and safe,” Warwood said. “They could have found a dead body this morning and it would have been a different story. It was 90 degrees outside yesterday.”
A lot of balls were dropped, he said.
“Let’s fix the errors that occurred so it doesn’t happen again,” Warwood said.
This story originally appeared in the Magic Valley Times News, read more at MagicValley.com
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