BARTON COUNTY —Authorities are investigating the death of a man in rural Barton County.
Just after 7 p.m. Wednesday, 911 dispatchers received a call about a missing Great Bend man who had not returned from work, according to Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir,
Deputies traveled to the 500 Block of SE 70th Road on the Barton-Stafford County line on the Dartmouth blacktop.
Upon arrival, deputies located the missing man identified as Laverne Brown, 88, Great Bend. Investigators determined he was working on an oil lease at the location and attempting to repair a leak and may have been overcome hydrogen sulfide gas, commonly known as H2S, a toxic substance that is a byproduct of oil and natural gas production, according to Bellendir.
The location tested positive for H2S. Authorities are awaiting results of an autopsy, according to Bellendir.