Endicott, Steven Craig

A 15 year old rural Joplin Missouri boy was killed Wednesday afternoon when he was buried alive under several feet of gravel in an abandoned mining area southwest of Fountain Road and Highway JJ, authorities said.

Steven Endicott, Joplin Route 6, was pronounced dead at 6:38 pm at St. John's Medical Center by Dr. Wendell Fuhr, Jasper county Missouri coroner. The youth died of suffocation, according to the coroner's report.

Jasper County authorities said Wednesday night the youth apparently was killed when a chat pile he had ascended on his bicycle collapsed, burying him. It was an hour before he was extricated.

Two of Endicott's friends who were riding their bicycles on the side of the gravel pile escaped unharmed, authorities said. The cave-in occurred about 4:50 pm about five miles northeast of Joplin.

A parent of one of the other boys, however, told a different story about what happened. She said the three boys had been digging tunnels in the chat pile and that the Endicott boy was at the bottom of the chat pile digging a tunnel when the cave-in occurred.

She said her son and another boy had been digging a tunnel in the chat pile when the tunnel caved in on them and they, at that time, warned Endicott to get away from the tunnel he was digging. Her son and the other boy, she said, suffered minor injuries when the tunnel they were digging collapsed on them.

The tunnel apparently collapsed on Endicott, burying him and two bicycles the boys had been riding on and apparently had parked near the bottom of the chat pile. The bicycles were recovered under the fallen chat when the search for Endicott was undertaken.

Authorities identified the two other boys as Mark Glassburner and Billy Logsdon, both of Joplin Missouriroute 6.

Several area residents rushed to the scene after learning of the cave-in and dug frantically with shovels and their hands, trying to save Endicott.

A bulldozer, manned by Ed Ames, an off-duty Joplin firefighter, and two back-hoes, operated by Melvin Reed and Paul Rowden who where working near Briarbrook Country Club, later arrived at the scene, uncovering the boy's body about 5:55 pm, authorities said.

The Webb City Missouri Fire and ambulance departments and the Carl Junction Police and fire departments also responded.

Endicott, a sophomore at Carl Junction High School, was born June 16, 1975 at Baxter Springs Kansas. He was the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Darrel Endicott.

Surviving are a paternal grandmother, Mrs. Mary Endicott, Carl Junction Missouri, Route 1; a maternal grandmother, Mrs. Betty Pulley, Quapaw Oklahoma, and a maternal great-grandmother, Mrs. Mary Pulley, Baxter Springs Kansas. Arrangements will be announced by Roney funeral service, Carl Junction.

Card of Thanks

We want to thank all our lovely friends and neighbors for their kindness and concern during the recent loss of our son, Steven Endicott. A special thanks to the ones who used their equipment and shovels trying so valiantly to save him. Darrell Endicott and Mary Endicott and family of Steven Endicott.