HAIGLER, Neb. (AP) — A retired California firefighter who disappeared from a Chicago-bound train has been found dead in western Nebraska.

The family of 69-year-old Charlie Dowd said Friday night that his body was spotted by a railway worker in Haigler, an area where investigators had focused their search.

Dowd was last seen Sept. 13 on an Amtrak train traveling from California. Reports from passengers who saw him had investigators thinking he may have fallen off the train in eastern Colorado or western Nebraska.

In a statement on the family’s Facebook page, relatives say they’re devastated but thankful to those who helped search. Family member Sheila Stevens confirmed the information in an interview, saying details would be released later.

(credit: CBS)

Messages left for Amtrak officials weren’t immediately returned.

Dowd was from San Mateo, Calif.

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