Monroe man found dead in Frenchtown Twp. field

2/1/2013

MONROE — A Monroe man was found dead Thursday morning in a field into which he apparently wandered after his vehicle became stuck in mud next to the parking lot of a Frenchtown Township motel, authorities said.

Robert Anthony Laboe, 57, was covered in mud and unresponsive when he was found in a grassy area behind the Truck and Car Wash on Frenchtown Center Drive at 8:15 a.m., shortly after sunrise, and was declared dead at the scene, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office reported.

Mr. Laboe's cell telephone and keys were found near his truck, which was stuck in mud near the America's Best Value Inn on North Dixie Highway but otherwise undamaged, deputies said. The field where he was found was north of the motel.

The report included no indication of suspected foul play. Temperatures fell well below freezing early Thursday in Monroe, with even colder wind chills, after having been unusually warm earlier in the week.

The incident, including Mr. Laboe's cause of death, remains under investigation. The sheriff's detective bureau asked anyone with relevant information to call 734-240-7530.