A body found in the Hallsboro area on Oct. 13 has been positively identified as Austin Buck Long, 22, a Nakina man who had been missing since Sept. 25, Columbus County Sheriff Lewis Hatcher said in a news release Saturday. An autopsy conducted at the Office of the State Medical Examiner in Raleigh confirmed the identification, but has not yet confirmed a cause of death, the news release said. Volunteers with the Wilmington based CUE Center for Missing Persons conducting a search in the area of Thurman Road in Hallsboro on Oct. 13 discovered the body in a wooded area.
Look for updates on this story as events warrant, and the complete story in the next Tabor-Loris Tribune in print and online.
Details of Disappearance: Last seen at BP station riding with Michaela Benton and Dustin Warren. They claim he went in the store and stole 2 cartons of cigarettes and ran out of the store on foot, heading back toward Lees Lake area.
Investigative Agency: Columbus County Sheriff’s Department (910)640-6629