On November 16, 2018 at approximately 5:16, Blowing Rock Police Officers responded, along with Blowing Rock Fire and Rescue and Watauga Medics, to a report of a fall on Greenhill Road in Blowing Rock. Upon arrival an elderly white male was found deceased off the embankment.
The victim has been identified as Milton J. Hayes from Bessemer City North Carolina. Mr. Hayes was reported missing to the Gaston County Police on November 15th at 9:00 am. A preliminary investigation, by the Medial Examiner at the scene, indicate that Mr. Hayes may have died 10 to 12 hours before being discovered by a resident in the area. The cause and circumstances of Mr. Hayes death is currently under investigation.
The vehicle driven by a missing person found deceased in Blowing Rock has been located. The maroon Chevy HHR owned by Milton Hayes was found by Blowing Rock Police Officers during the continued search on Sunday morning. The vehicle was located on a heavily wooded private drive off George Blagg Lane in Blowing Rock. The vehicle had run through a split rail fence and was stuck off the drive. The vehicle was approximately ¼ mile from where the Mr. Hayes was found on Friday evening.
Though the investigation is continuing, it believed at this time that Mr. Hayes, age 72, may have been disoriented and confused when he ran off the driveway and left the safety of his vehicle during an ice storm on Thursday night.
Blowing Rock Police are working with the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine the cause of Mr. Hayes’s death.