The discovery of an abandoned vehicle sparked a search for a missing Georgia man along the Blue Ridge Parkway, according to the National Park Service.
Investigators say the vehicle belongs to Oshie Ray Berry, 39, of Pooler.
The vehicle was found early Wednesday, Jan. 25, near the 410 pole, officials said in a news release. The area is approximately 40 miles southwest of Asheville, North Carolina.
“While responding to a report of a damaged gate near the entrance to the parkway from US 276, law enforcement officers also located an unoccupied vehicle at a nearby checkpoint,” the park said.
“The vehicle … showed damage consistent with an attempt to drive through a locked gate.”
The search for Berry began immediately in the area adjacent to the Pan Tunnel and Graveyard Falls, This is reported by Virtual Blue Ridge.
Transylvania County Search and Rescue is assisting in the search along with crews from Haywood County, Brevard Fire Rescue, North Carolina Forest Service and Connestee Fire Rescue, Inc.
“Today, officials intend to expand the search area and bring in additional personnel,” the park service said.
Anyone with any information about Berry is asked to call the National Park Service at 888-653-0009.
A boulevard is a two-lane winding road that “meanders for 469 miles” through the Appalachian forests of western North Carolina and Virginia, according to the National Park Service.
