Hunter in national forest stumbles across remains of man missing since 2018, NC cops say
A hunter was trekking through the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina when he stumbled across something alarming — the human remains of a man who hadn’t been seen for over four years.
The hunter reported his discovery to the Macon County Sheriff’s Office, which reached out to the Winston-Salem Police Department to share the news, according to a release from the department.
Winston-Salem police helped identify the remains as 48-year-old Christopher Sexton, who went missing in 2018, according to the release.
“The remains were identified as Christopher Sexton through dental records. The family of Mr. Sexton has been notified and the missing person case with the Winston-Salem Police Department has been closed,” the police said in the release.
Sexton vanished from Winston-Salem on March 13, 2018, and his car was found in the Nantahala National Forest in April 2018, according to police. Sexton had “cognitive disorders” according to police, and a silver alert was issued shortly after he went missing.
Police said at the time that they believed Sexton had been on the Appalachian Trail, but no other traces of him were found until the hunter located his remains.
No foul play is suspected in his death, according to police.
The Nantahala National Forest is in western North Carolina, about 200 miles west of Winston-Salem.
This story was originally published December 8, 2022 at 9:53 AM with the headline "Hunter in national forest stumbles across remains of man missing since 2018, NC cops say."
