DES MOINES – This missing Iowa man was tragically found dead in a frigid creek just blocks from the State Capitol building.
The Des Moines Police Department conducted a death investigation following the discovery of a deceased person on the city’s east side.
Just after 11:15 AM on January 10, 2026, patrol officers and Des Moines Fire Department rescue personnel responded to Four Mile Creek near E. 33rd Street and Hubbell Avenue to investigate the report of a person in the creek. First responders arrived to find an adult male deceased in the creek water.
Des Moines Police Department detectives responded to the scene. Following further investigation, this person was identified as 45-year-old David Earleywine, a longt-ime Iowa resident.
Earleywine had previously been reported as a missing person in late November 2025. Multiple search efforts by law enforcement, family, and friends were conducted, however David was not located until this tragic day.
The preliminary investigation found no obvious indications of traumatic injury or criminal circumstances, police said. The Polk County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct a forensic investigation to determine cause and manner of death.
Des Moines Police Department detectives continue this investigation, police claimed.
According to an obitaury, David Earleywine (pictured at top via simplifyiowa.com), “David was a unique and fiercely independent person . His life was tragically cut short during the pre dawn hours on Thanksgiving giving day 2025. David absolutely loved nature, fishing, camping and anything to do with outside. David graduated from Creston high school where he and his family lived for several years before moving back to the Des Moines area.”