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Grain bin fatality identified in rural Granville incident

69-year-old from Magnolia died Jan. 26; brother rescued and released from hospital

Emergency personnel respond to a grain bin entrapment incident on a farm south of Granville on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Two OSF HealthCare lifeflight helicopters were dispatched to assist with the rescue operation. Residents were advised to avoid the area during emergency response efforts.

The Putnam County Coroner’s Office has identified the person who died in a grain bin incident Monday in rural Granville as Gary Bruch, 69, of Magnolia, Coroner Bob Cofoid said in a news release.

Bruch and others were unloading beans from the bin on the family farm when he entered the bin for an unknown reason and became entrapped, Cofoid said.

Bruch’s brother entered the bin to look for him and also became entrapped. A third person attempted a rescue until fire rescue arrived, Cofoid said. The technical rescue team extracted Bruch’s brother, who was airlifted to OSF Saint Francis Hospital in Peoria and later released.

Rescue personnel recovered Bruch, who was pronounced deceased at the scene. His remains were transported to Bloomington for forensic examination performed on Tuesday, Cofoid said.

The cause of death is pending laboratory toxicology and investigation reports, Cofoid said.

Maribeth M. Wilson

Maribeth M. Wilson has been a reporter with Shaw Media for two years, one of those as news editor at the Morris Herald-News. She became a part of the NewsTribune staff in 2023.