The search for a missing person has ended with a tragic discovery. According to Burke County officials, the search for Justin Lobdell concluded just before noon on Tuesday when he was found deceased approximately one-quarter mile down the trail from the Pine Gap Trailhead, in the Pisgah National Forest.
Lobdell was reported missing to the Black Mountain Police Department during the evening hours of November 2. On Sunday, November 8, an off-duty Mitchell County deputy spotted his vehicle at the Pine Gap Trailhead. Recognizing the vehicle from a be-on-the-lookout notice, the deputy contacted emergency services.
The Black Mountain Police Department worked alongside Burke County Emergency Management, Burke County EMS Special Operations, Burke County EMS, Burke County 911 Telecommunicator Emergency Response Task Force, Burke County Rescue Squad, Burke County Sheriff’s Office, Ashford North Cove Fire Department, McDowell County Rescue, Linville Central Rescue and K-9 Task Force, and Avery County Emergency Management.
Additional assistance was provided by North Carolina Emergency Management, City of Asheville Fire Department Field Communications Task Force, North Carolina Department of Corrections Prison Emergency Response Task Force Search Team, North Carolina Division of Prisons K-9 Task Force, McDowell County Emergency Services, and U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officers.
Lobdell’s body has been transferred to the medical examiner’s office for evaluation. Any additional information will be released by the Burke County Sheriff’s Office and/or the Black Mountain Police Department.
Story: Rob Easstwood-WHKY