Recovered body confirmed as missing Nakina man

Austin Buck Long

By DEUCE NIVEN

tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com

     A body found in the Hallsboro area on Oct. 13 has been positively identified as Austin Buck Long, 22, a Nakina man who had been missing since Sept. 25, Columbus County Sheriff Lewis Hatcher said in a news release Saturday.

     An autopsy conducted at the Office of the State Medical Examiner in Raleigh confirmed the identification, but has not yet confirmed a cause of death, the news release said.

     Volunteers with the Wilmington based CUE Center for Missing Persons conducting a search in the area of Thurman Road in Hallsboro on Oct. 13 discovered the body in a wooded area.

     Family members and law enforcement had been searching for a Nakina man who was last seen in the Hallsboro area on Sept. 25, a previous sheriff’s office news release said.

     Look for updates on this story as events warrant, and the complete story in the next Tabor-Loris Tribune in print and online.