Versailles State Park is being searched for a missing high school student by police and conservation authorities

Ripley County, Indiana – An 18-year-old high school student who went missing at Versailles State Park in southeast Indiana is being looked for by Indiana Conservation Officers.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources reports that on Friday night, Riley County dispatch received a complaint that 18-year-old Carson Hughes had gone missing from Versailles Lake.

Authorities discovered Hughes’ car next to a state park boat ramp, where they found the keys still inside and it already unlocked. According to Indiana DNR, an empty kayak was also observed floating in the lake.

The Indiana DNR has verified that authorities have used thermal and side-scan sonar technologies to examine both land and water thus far. But thus far, those searches have yielded nothing.

Due to “darkness and unsafe search conditions,” the search has been temporarily suspended until the morning, according to the DNR.

It is recommended that anyone with information regarding Hughes’ whereabouts call the Indiana DNR Dispatch Center at 812-837-9536.

At the location, assistance was provided by the Delaware Volunteer Fire Department, PHI Air Medical Services, Versailles Fire Department, Ripley County Emergency Medical Services, Indiana State Police, Indiana Excise Police, and the Ripley County Sheriff’s Department.