Hugh Armstrong, 72, was located at about 1 a.m. walking along the road in Marion, North Carolina, about 240 miles west of his hometown in Clayton, N.C. Armstrong was confused and wasn’t sure where he was going, but overall, he was in good physical health, said police.
Armstrong’s son-in-law, Craig Black, says a deputy found information on Armstrong in a missing person database and identified him. Black said he was shocked when he got the news. It appear Armstrong made his way to North Carolina by walking and hitchhiking, said authorities. Armstrong’s family has been contacted, and they’re making arrangements to bring him home.
Happy Ending!
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UPDATE: 7/30/2012
He was wearing sneakers, eyeglasses, a white baseball hat, shorts and a T-shirt when he left the family's rental unit at Hawthorne Village. He had no cell phone, food or water with him. Family members said he went out with a plan to walk the 5.2 miles around the mountain lake and return home by 9 a.m.
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| Hugh Armstrong |
Bill Taffe, who heads up Emergency Medical Services for the town of Rumney, was manning the ambulance after several days of line searching. He said he has never seen such a large and lengthy search for a missing person in the town. “It's anybody's guess” where Armstrong is, he said. “There's lots and lots of theories.” But Kneeland said by now, he would have expected Armstrong to “pop out” of the woods somewhere if he was able, though he conceded “these are big woods.” The effort began with hasty teams and bloodhounds then proceeded to grid searches near the Hawthorne Village and spread out along the edge of the road down toward the lake and up above the lake.
As each day went on, the teams went further afield with teams focusing on river drainage above and below the lake, surrounded by steep hills. On Sunday the focus was Mead Pond, above Stinson Lake, with five line search teams out in the woods. Saturday the focus was in the area of Stinson Mountain, a two-mile hike from the trailhead, while others searched toward Ellsworth on and off a number of roads. “This is our last big day,” said Kneeland Sunday, noting there would be no requests for volunteers on Monday. He said he would give helicopter crews, who have been hampered by low cloud cover, a few places to look in the next few days. The weather has been primarily in the 70s and 60s, with some heavy rain showers.
Asked if he thinks Armstrong is out there, Kneeland looked up above the lake and said, “I think I do.” He said that the family has been briefed daily of what is going on and what the plan for the coming day is. They were informed Saturday night that the search was concluding Sunday.
“They took it well. They really do appreciate the locals that have jumped in to line search and helped in any way they could,” Kneeland said. He said when there is spare time, conservation officers will continue to search the area for Armstrong. He still remained hopeful. “It might be what it takes is a good samaritan out in the woods” to find Armstrong. Those who believe they may have seen Armstrong are asked to call 846-3333.
UPDATE:
Fish and Game Conservation Officers, New Hampshire State Police, Rumney Fire Dept., and other search and rescue organizations are participating in the search for Armstrong.
State Police Lt. Todd Landry said Hugh Armstrong of Clayton, N.C., is here with his family visiting Stinson Lake on vacation and went out for "a short walk," abut 6:30 a.m. Landry said Armstrong had no health issues and was planning to walk from Hawthorne Village along the edge of the lake.
Twelve hours later, Landry said the search for Armstrong continues and includes the New England K-9 Search and Rescue on the ground, the NH State Police helicopter in the air, state Fish and Game officials, and local fire and police.
He said that at night helicopters in the air would be able to use infrared radar - which picks up the heat of a person's body - but only once it became dark.
Update 7/27/2012:About 60 searchers are looking for Armstrong, including New Hampshire Fish and Game conservation officers, state police, local fire department personnel and two canine search teams. The American Red Cross is on hand providing food and comfort to the searchers.
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