Body of Helene-related missing camper from Avery County believed to be found

A debris clean-up crew working in Avery County March 28 found a body, who the sheriff's office believes to be one of two people in the county still missing in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene.

The crew was clearing debris along the North Toe River when they discovered the body near Bent Road in the Ingalls Community, according to a news release from the Avery County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Mike Henley told the Citizen Times April 1 that the body was identifiable "in some ways," but did have signs of decomposition. The sheriff's office believes the person is a "Helene-related missing camper from the Buck Hill Campground," the release said.

In the months since Helene swept through Western North Carolina on Sept. 27, Avery County went through "a period of time" where there were three people still missing from the storm, according to Henley. Search and rescue crews have desperately combed through piles of debris looking for Russell Wilber and his wife, Charlene. The couple from East Tennessee was camping in Avery County when flood waters swept them away.

The search for the husband and wife has been extensive. Dive teams were organized and volunteers dug through piles of debris along the North Toe River with backhoes, Russell's daughter, Ranee LaPointe, previously told the Citizen Times. Their camper was found destroyed, broken in two pieces down the river from the Buck Hill Campground, where they were staying. So was Charlene's car.

Charlene’s body was found "some months back" about 12 miles down the North Toe River from the campground, Henley said. If the body found on March 28 is identified as Russell Wilber, then the sheriff estimated he was found about 11 miles away from where they were camping.

The sheriff's office recovered the person and sent the body to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for a positive identification based on DNA and dental records. Henley said they are waiting for full confirmation before releasing the person's identity, though they've been in contact with the family "so they are aware that we located someone and that we feel like it is their loved one."

If the person is determined to be the missing camper, he would bring the county's official count to one missing and six deceased related to Helene. Deputies are still searching for Kim Ashby, a teacher from Sanford, who went missing after her vacation home in Avery County collapsed into a nearby river.

Henley said he has tasked someone in his office to periodically contact the families of those missing, to make sure they know that deputies continue to follow every lead to find their loved one.

"Until we find them, it won't be a closed case. They will be missing persons that we will always be looking for until we can provide the family some closure," Henley said.

Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober