Police, conservation officers searching for missing high school student in Versailles State Park

RIPLEY COUNTY, Ind. — Indiana Conservation Officers are searching for an 18-year-old high school student missing in Versailles State Park in southeastern Indiana.

According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Riley County dispatch was notified Friday evening that 18-year-old Carson Hughes was reported missing from Versailles Lake.

Authorities located Hughes’ vehicle near a boat ramp within the state park and observed that it was already unlocked with the keys still inside it. An empty kayak was also seen resting in the water, Indiana DNR said.

So far, Indiana DNR confirmed that authorities have conducted land and water searches using thermal and side-scan sonar technologies. However, those searches have been unsuccessful so far.

The search has been temporarily halted until the morning due to “darkness and unsafe search conditions,” DNR said.

Anyone with information about Hughes’ location is encouraged to contact the Indiana DNR Dispatch Center at 812-837-9536.

The Ripley County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, Indiana Excise Police, PHI Air Medical Services, Versailles Fire Department, Ripley County Emergency Medical Services, Ripley County Emergency Management Agency and Delaware Volunteer Fire Department all assisted at the scene.