The Alexander County Sheriff’s Office has provided a tentative identification of the body found south of Taylorsville this morning. The following is a press release from Alexander County Sheriff Chris Bowman. The release has been edited for clarity.
On September 28, 2021 at approximately 7:30 AM, Alexander County Emergency Communication Center received a call about a vehicle accident located on County Home Rd, near the intersection of Millersville Rd. Alexander County EMS, along with North Carolina Highway Patrol responded. The driver of the wrecked vehicle was transported to a local hospital. During the accident, the driver’s dog escaped the wrecked vehicle. The driver’s brother came to the scene to wait on a wrecker. The wrecker was coming from Caldwell County. During that time, the brother stepped into a wooded area in an attempt to locate the missing dog. While in the woods, he came upon a wallet. Several feet away from the wallet, he saw what appeared to be a severely decomposed human body. At that time, he immediately called the Alexander County Emergency Communication Center and reported the discovery.
At 9:28 AM, Alexander County Sheriff Deputies and Investigators responded to the scene. An investigation ensued and it was confirmed that a human body had been discovered, suffering from severe decomposition.
The wallet found contained a North Carolina Identification Card with the name Jason Anthony Riddle, W/M, age 39 of Stony Point.
A North Carolina Medical Examiner was contacted and responded to the scene. The Medical Examiner scheduled an autopsy for identification purposes and attempt to determine cause of death.
On September 9, 2021, Jason Riddle was reported missing by a family member to the Alexander County Sheriff Office. A report was filed and an investigation began. Since the report was filed, investigators have received several possible leads. All leads were exhausted, with Riddle failing to be located.
Sheriff Chris Bowman is asking the public to come forward with any information regarding this investigation. Contact the Alexander County Crime Stoppers 828-632-8555 or Alexander County Sheriff Office Detectives at 828-632-1111.
End of release