Missing fisherman’s body found days later in North Carolina creek. ‘Unbearable’
An “avid” fisherman vanished days before he was found dead in a North Carolina creek, officials and loved ones said.
Michael Hallford Jr. was reported missing April 12, two days after his family last saw him. The 44-year-old Lenoir man’s car was spotted near Wilson Creek, but he wasn’t in it, according to Facebook posts from Caldwell County officials and relatives.
Hallford reportedly disappeared while on a fishing trip. During their search on the land and water, crews from several agencies used dogs, drones, divers and sonar technology. Meanwhile, the family said it held out hope that he would be found.
“All of our hearts are broken,” relatives wrote in their post, which was shared on Caldwell County social media pages. “We can never begin to tell you what these past few days have entailed.”
Then on April 16, officials reported making a grim discovery.
Hallford’s body was found “submerged in Wilson Creek downstream from where his vehicle was found. The Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy at a later date, but investigators found no signs of foul play,” county officials wrote.
Hallford is remembered as an “avid sports fisherman” who died doing what he loved. The “unbearable” loss left his family members asking for support, according to a post from his sister, Facebook user Christina Hallford Kirkman.
“I want to thank all of the agencies and departments that helped with this search,” Sheriff Alan Jones said in the county’s social media post. “A search of this scope would have been impossible without the cooperation and teamwork of all of the agencies involved.”
Caldwell County, home to Lenoir, is a roughly 70-mile drive northwest from Charlotte.
This story was originally published April 17, 2024 at 11:59 AM with the headline "Missing fisherman’s body found days later in North Carolina creek. ‘Unbearable’."
