Body of man who abandoned car in snowstorm found in Virginia

The Hill
·2 min read
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The body of a man who abandoned his car in a snowstorm was found in Virginia on Thursday, after apparently freezing to death while trying to talk home.

The Louisa County Sheriff's Office said in a statement on Friday that the body of Jacob Whaley, 34, was recovered in a "very dense pine plantation" about 200 yards off of Greene's Corner Road, according to The New York Times. The body was discovered by a search group made up of volunteers and officials from the sheriff's office.

Maj. Ronnie Roberts, chief deputy for the Louisa County Sheriff's Office, said Whaley's body was recovered in "a very heavily wooded area off the road that the search team had a hard time getting through," according to the Times.

"Our county had 100 percent power outage and impassable roads," he noted.

Whaley told his family on Monday that he was leaving his broken-down car behind to try and walk back to his home in Louisa County, according to the Times. His car reportedly broke down in Hanover County during a massive snowstorm that left hundreds of drivers stranded on Interstate 95 for hours, including Sen. Tim Kaine (D).

Whaley's car was found on Jan. 4 on Mt. Olive Road in Hanover, east of his home, according to WRIC. According to cell phone data from the tracking app Life 360, Whaley's last recorded location was in Louisa County.

The last text Whaley sent to his family was at 8:45 p.m., according to WRIC. His family reportedly told authorities they believed he may be near Greene's Corner Road.

The Louisa County Sheriff's Office said it "immediately responded to the family's request to check both the roadside area along Greene's Corner Road, the roadways in between and his residence," according to the Times.

Shannon Whaley, Jacob's mother, told WRIC she is "so angry with this county," adding "All they had to do was go out and holler for him."

"Louisa County let him freeze to death," Angela Whaley, Jacob's mother, told WRIC.

The Hill reached out to the Louisa County Sheriff's Office for more information.