AVERY COUNTY, N.C. — A body found earlier this week in Avery County has been identified as a camper in Avery County who had been missing since Hurricane Helene hit the area last September, according to the Avery County Sheriff’s Office.
The camper has been identified as Russell Wilbur from Telford, Tennessee. His body was found while crews were working to clear an area along the North Toe River on March 28. The remains of the body were found near Bent Road, which is in the Ingalls Community.
Deputies were called to the scene and recovered the body. Wilbur, 66, was camping at the Buck Hill Campground with his wife when the camper they were staying in was swept away during the storm, deputies say. The camper was found in October.
The official count for Helene-related missing and deceased in Avery County is one missing and six dead, according to Channel 9′s partners at WLOS.
(WATCH BELOW: Community helps rebuild food truck swept away in Hurricane Helene)
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