Missing Person from Wilmington Located in Beaufort County | Eastern NC Now

On Sunday Morning, August 6, 2017 a resident of Swindell Road in Pantego contacted the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office to report locating a suspicious vehicle parked off Wonderland Road in the middle of thousands of acres of farm land

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Press Release:

    On Sunday Morning, August 6, 2017 a resident of Swindell Road in Pantego contacted the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office to report locating a suspicious vehicle parked off Wonderland Road in the middle of thousands of acres of farm land. Upon further investigation, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office determined the vehicle, a white Chevy Equinox was reportedly driven by Deborah Cavenaugh Blades who was listed as missing by the Wilmington Police Department.

    Based on the information on Blades' disappearance received from the Wilmington Police Department and the location of her vehicle, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office organized a search of the surrounding area. Members of the Pantego Fire Department, Chocowninity Fire Department, Beaufort County Emergency Management, The Coastal Carolina Search and Rescue Team, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and the NC Highway Patrol Avaition Unit responded to assist in the search effort. After about 6 hours of searching the body of Deborah Cavenaugh Blades was located about 400 feet from her vehicle.

    Based on evidence at the scene there is no reason to suspect foul play and the cause of death is unknown. The Medical Examiner's Office in Greenville NC, will be investigating further. The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office has no further comment on this case.

  • Chief Deputy Charlie Rose
  •     Beaufort County Sheriff's Office

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( August 7th, 2017 @ 6:33 pm )
 
Deborah was originally from Rocky Mount and her family attended the same church as my wife. We have had a great interest in this situation for several days now along with input from my wife's Rocky Mount friends.

She was being treated with some medication for a Urinary Track Infection and a side effect was disorientation and thought disruption. No one knows exactly how any medicine will affect them.

I am grateful she has been found, but sad she has left this life. I am also impressed with the level of volunteer concern along with the good search effort once her car was located and identified. It should bring a good feeling of security to Beaufort County residents to know we have such good services from responders.

We are now retired and expect to live to the end here in Beaufort County. It is a great place to live in your last days of life.



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