LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Authorities in eastern Kentucky said a father and his teenage son have been found dead in an abandoned coal mine.
Harlan County officials said Ricky Dixon, 41, and Kevin Dixon, 19, had gone into the mine in search of scrap metal to sell.
Meanwhile, Kentucky State Police Detective Tim Hensley said it's still not exactly clear what the two were doing in the mine. The mine is just off Highway 221.
"The investigation is still going on, so we really don’t know why they were even back there," Hensley said. "People speculate but I don’t know at this point.”
Police said Dixon’s wife called police on Sunday to report that the two had been missing since Saturday.
According to a Kentucky State Police press release, the two were found by a rescue team “well beyond the point where ambient air contained enough oxygen to sustain life.”
Police said no foul play is suspected.
“This is not something that we get very often," Hensley said. "I can’t recall when something like this has happened before.”
UM Looking for SCRAP METAL TO SELL IN AN ABANDONED MINE, NUFF SAID!