Last Updated on April 1, 2025 4:56 pm
UPDATE April 1, 2025 4:45pm
The Avery County Sheriff's Office wants to update the public on the news release from yesterday, March 31, 2025.
The body located in the Ingalls community on the 28th of March has been positively identified by the NC State Medical Examiners Office as Russell Wilber, 66 yoa, permanent resident of Telford, TN. and the remaining missing person from Buck Hill Campground.
We currently have one remaining person who is missing from Elk River due to Hurricane Helene.
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On Friday, March 28th, a debris clean-up crew working along the North Toe River, near Bent Road in the Ingalls Community discovered the remains of a decomposed body. The Avery County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and recovered the individual. The remains are believed to be those of a Helene-related missing camper from the Buck Hill Campground.
The remains are being sent to the office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Raleigh, for positive identification.
Pending positive identification, this would bring the official count for Helene-related missing and deceased in Avery County to 1 missing, and 6 deceased. The Avery County Sheriff’s Office will continue to exhaust all efforts and follow any leads received pertaining to the last remaining missing individual as a result of Hurricane Helene.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Avery County Sheriff’s Office at 828-733-5855.
