(BENTON, IL) — A death investigation is underway in Franklin County after a Highland man was found dead in rural Thompsonville Saturday. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office says it received a report Friday from the Highland Police Department regarding a missing endangered person from Highland who was possibly in the Franklin County area. The missing person’s vehicle was found on private property in rural Thompsonville. A ground and air search was done until dark and the missing person wasn’t found at that time.. On Saturday, a search team did another search of the area and found a 51-year-old white man dead in a creek bed in the area where the vehicle was found. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Franklin County Coroner Marty Leffler. An autopsy will be done to rule out any suspicion of foul play. The man’s name was not released.