PATRICK COUNTY, VA – Authorities say Charles Edward Martin Jr., a Stuart man that hadn’t been seen for a week, has been found dead.
At around 8:20 a.m. on Saturday, a Virginia State Police Trooper was searching for Martin in the area of Salem Highway, near Five Forks Road, when he noticed some ground disturbance off the road and into a wooded area.
The trooper exited his patrol vehicle and started a search, which led him to an embankment that was not visible from the road.
When the trooper looked over the embankment, he found Martin’s 2005 Ford Explorer overturned into thick brush with Martin dead inside, according to the Patrick County Sheriff's Office.
The Sheriff’s Office along with the State Police is continuing to investigate this incident.
The Sheriff’s Office said the preliminary investigation indicates that Martin’s Ford was going northbound on Salem Highway when it left the road and overturned down the embankment.
Martin’s body will be transported to the medical examiner’s office to determine cause of death.
“Please keep the Martin family in your prayers. This was not the outcome we had hoped for”, Sheriff Dan Smith said in a Saturday afternoon press release.
ORIGINAL STORY
PATRICK COUNTY, VA – The Patrick County Sheriff's Office is seeking the whereabouts of a missing 56-year-old man.
Charles Edward Martin Jr., of Shingle Shop Road in Stuart, hasn’t been seen or heard from since Saturday, January 14, according to the sheriff’s office.
Martin has never missed a day of work until now.
The sheriff’s office says they along with several of Martin’s family members and employer searched Martin’s residence Tuesday morning, but could not locate him.
Martin should be in his champagne 2005 Ford Explorer with Virginia tags USP-6589.
The Ford should have a Washington Redskins logo on the back glass.
The circumstances of Martins disappearance are suspicious and are being investigated, according to authorities.
Anyone with information about this case, or any sightings of Martin or his vehicle, should call the sheriff’s office at 276-694-3161.
