OGALLALA, Neb. (Aug. 1, 2025) — A Perkins County man reported missing after failing to return home from work was found deceased Thursday evening in Keith County, authorities said.
According to the Keith County Sheriff’s Office, Trenton Weinke of Elsie had been reported missing by the Perkins County Sheriff’s Office on the evening of July 30. Weinke had last been seen while working on irrigation pivots in Keith County and was driving a blue Chevrolet 2500 truck towing an ATV on a trailer.
Initial efforts to locate Weinke began after his cellphone was last pinged in an area south of Highway 61 and east of Ogallala Community Hospital. Deputies conducted vehicle searches in the area throughout the night.
Search efforts resumed the morning of July 31, with the Keith County Sheriff’s Office and Ogallala Ambulance District deploying aerial drones and conducting ground searches using utility terrain vehicles. Despite extensive efforts, Weinke was not located.
Later that day, deputies received a report of a possible pivot site Wenke may have intended to check on his route home. The location was near County Road 20 East and County Road D South. Upon arriving in the area, deputies located Weinke's vehicle approximately half a mile south of the pivot entrance on a minimum maintenance road. He was found deceased at the scene, the result of a vehicle accident.
The investigation into the incident remains ongoing. Additional details will be released as they become available, the sheriff’s office said.