Local man killed in motorcycle crash

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GREENFIELD — Family members retracing the steps of a missing Greenfield man found his body on an embankment near Interstate 865 and Interstate 465.

Louis Clark, 38, died apparently after a motorcycle crash Sunday along I-465 in Boone County. He had been reported missing by his wife Sunday after he did not return from a trip to Indianapolis, Indiana State Police said.

Family members called police but also took it upon themselves to retrace Clark’s route late Monday afternoon. A family member discovered Clark’s body down an embankment off the interstate after noticing a damaged guardrail and spotting a piece of his motorcycle, police said.

No witnesses to the accident have come forward. Results of an autopsy performed Tuesday are pending, police said.

Investigators believe Clark was just trying to get home, Greenfield Police Detective Lt. Randy Ratliff said.

Clark had been spending time with friends and family in Indianapolis for the MotoGP, a racing event in Indianapolis during the weekend, and was headed back to Greenfield early Sunday, Ratliff said. Clark was riding his motorcycle, and his wife was following in their car.

At some point, she lost sight of him, Ratliff said.

“She was expecting to meet him back at home,” he said.

When Clark never arrived in Greenfield on Sunday, his wife filed a missing person report with the Greenfield Police Department.

But something about this report felt different, Ratliff said: Adults can choose to disappear for any number of reasons, but there was no indication that Clark wanted to be missing.

As part of the investigation, Ratliff contacted the Indiana State Police, telling them to be on the lookout for Clark.

State troopers began searching for Clark along I-465 near mile marker 24, where Clark’s wife said she had last seen her husband, police said.

Clark’s family began looking for him, too. They found pieces of Clark’s motorcycle and eventually his body more than 30 feet down an embankment, where it was not visible from the roadway, police said.

Clark was pronounced dead at the scene.

Little is known about what caused the crash, and Indiana State Police are investigating.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Aryaun Smith at 317-899-8577.

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Investigators are seeking witnesses to an accident that killed a Greenfield man Sunday on Interstate 465 near Interstate 865 in Boone County. Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Aryaun Smith at 317-899-8577.

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