Found Deceased IA - Steven Leasure, 53, Burlington, 2 May 2015

Steven Leasure

Search planned for missing Burlington, Iowa man

Family and friends are asking for help to find a man who’s been missing for nearly a month. The last time 53-year-old Steven Leasure was seen was on May 2, 2015.
His sister Sheryl tells KWQC that he was seen at the Circle K in Burlington on Maple Street, putting air into his bike tire.
She says she has been working with a Facebook group who is trying to get a search organized for Saturday, June 6, 2015. Information on the search can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/southeastiowamissingpersonspage/permalink/1018167028196611/

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http://kwqc.com/2015/06/01/search-planned-for-missing-burlington-iowa-man/

Police Find Bicycle Belonging to Missing Burlington Man
June 10, 2015
http://www.kbur.com/2015/06/10/police-find-bicycle-belonging-to-missing-burlington-man/

The Hawk Eye reports that bicycle was found Monday by a resident at Hope Haven, and sonar-equipped boats have been searching through the lake.

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Help Find Steve Leasure
https://www.facebook.com/HelpfindSteveLeasure?fref=nf

Steven has been added to NamUs: https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/show/29265

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Police in eastern Iowa are still working to identify human remains found earlier this month near a small lake.
Law enforcement officers from several agencies used a cadaver dog and a boat to search the West Lake in northwest Burlington for about six hours on Tuesday, the Hawk Eye reports. That comes after they say a badly decomposed human foot was found on June 8 by people clearing brush around the lake.

http://wqad.com/2016/06/22/search-for-body-continues-in-burlington/

[h=1]Foot found at lake in 2016 belongs to missing Burlington man, FBI confirms[/h]

BURLINGTON, Iowa — DNA evidence has matched part of a human foot found in 2016 to a missing man, officials say.
The foot was found at Lake West in Burlington back on June 8th, 2016 and was sent off to the FBI Crime Lab in Quantico, Virginia for a DNA comparison.
According to the Burlington Police Department, the foot was found to be that of Steven Leasure, who was reported missing in May of 2015. The Burlington Police Department was informed of the DNA match on June 12th, 2017.

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http://wqad.com/2017/06/19/foot-found-at-burlington-lake-in-2016-belongs-to-missing-man/

Gardener1850 said:

[h=1]Foot found at lake in 2016 belongs to missing Burlington man, FBI confirms[/h]
Foot found at lake in 2016 belongs to missing Burlington man, FBI confirms

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Steve was a friend and as of 4/17/19 he is still officially considered missing.
His foot was the only body part found. Since you can live without a foot they have not concluded he is dead.

CHarms said:

Steve was a friend and as of 4/17/19 he is still officially considered missing.
His foot was the only body part found. Since you can live without a foot they have not concluded he is dead.

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Hi CHarms, Welcome to Websleuths. I'm so sorry your friend is missing.

You are correct that someone can survive without a foot. However, that person would require immediate medical attention to save their life in my opinion. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for friends and family when his foot was found. I don't want to seem insensitive, but have the FBI said that his foot was removed while he was still alive? They should be able to determine that with forensics. If they have said that, I'm so sorry-- that is beyond horrific to think about! Where could he be now, if living without a foot? Why would he not contact anyone? And how did his foot end up at the lake?

I do hope your friend is found soon.

BTW, Iowa Cold Case blog has a good summary of all the news article about Steven and the finding of his foot: Steven Ray Leasure

Steven Leasure's family still looking 6 years after his disappearance

They didn't stop looking after his bicycle was found June 9, 2015, at Lake West, and they didn't stop looking after his foot was found in the same lake one day short of a year after his bike had been discovered.

"We're on this. We're not going to go away," Vierra said. "I'm sure it's going to surface someday. As far as we know, Steven has been buried all over Burlington. We just don't know where."

Vierra and her family want to be able to give him a proper burial and lay him to rest in the family plot in Aspen Grove Cemetery while her mother, Marian Siebert, is still alive.

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