BRAYMER, Mo. — Law enforcement from across northwest Missouri descended Wednesday on a cattle farm in Braymer, Missouri, in the search for clues to the disappearance of two Wisconsin brothers.
Nicholas and Justin Diemel were in the area conducting business before missing a scheduled flight home. Their abandoned vehicle was found Monday in Holt, Missouri, with packed luggage still inside.
Police have yet to say what role the Braymer farm plays in the expanding investigation, but investigators could be seen setting up a sifting station Wednesday next to a smoldering debris pile on the property.
"At this time, we don’t know where they’re at, so that’s why all the resources have been called in to follow up on every lead," Cameron, Missouri, Police Chief Rick Bashor said.
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The heavy police presence is an unusual sight for Braymer, a small town of approximately 900 people.
Wayne Leamer noticed activity down the road Tuesday.
"Things like that just don’t happen around here," Leamer said. "I had to go into town and there were police cars all over the place down there."
According to family members and police, the Diemel brothers flew in Saturday for a business trip. Nicholas Diemel owns a livestock company in northeast Wisconsin.
He called Sunday morning to check in with his wife just before meeting with a client.
Later that afternoon, the brothers missed their flight back to Wisconsin.
"It's draining," Nicholas' wife, Lisa Diemel, said. "It's just on your mind 24/7. Not sleeping, can't eat. I think it's our children that keeping me going."
Sheriff's deputies discovered the Diemel's rental truck, a Ford F-250, abandoned Monday at a commuter lot in Holt, Missouri. Law enforcement returned to investigate the truck more on Wednesday.
"I just want somebody to find them and bring them home," Justin’s girlfriend, Taylor Moeller, said.
As the Diemel family waits for answers, they also hope for a safe return rather than a sinister ending.
"It’s really hard to believe something like that might or could have happened here," Leamer said.
Law enforcement encourages anyone who may have seen the brothers to call the Clinton County sheriff's Tips Hotline at 816-632-TIPS (8477).
