Madison County Sheriff's Office finds body of missing Asheville man in Pisgah National Forest
MAX PATCH - The Madison County Sheriff's Office discovered a body on U.S. Forest Service land Aug. 6, identified by Lt. Coy Phillips as Sean Read, 49, of Asheville.
The Sheriff's Office responded to the area of the 5800 block of Max Patch Road in Pisgah National Forest after a vehicle was found that had been reported missing from the Asheville area.
On Aug. 3, Asheville Police Department posted on social media asking for the public's help in locating Read, who was last seen Aug. 1.
After a brief search, Madison County Sheriff's employees discovered the body around 4 p.m. Aug. 6. Authorities said no foul play was involved.
According to Cathy Dowd, spokesperson with the U.S. Forest Service in Asheville, the body was discovered around 100-150 feet off the road.
Previous coverage: US Forest Service confirms deaths in Nantahala National Forest, 1 at waterfall, 1 in river
Elk River Falls drowning: Man drowns while swimming at Elk River Falls in Pisgah National Forest, sheriff says
Read, who leaves behind a life partner, Jax Hammond, and son, Elijah Read, had worked for an Asheville general contractor for nearly 20 years.
Read's is the latest in a series of deaths this year on federal lands. On July 23 a man drowned while swimming at Secret Falls on the Nantahala Ranger District, south of Highlands, Dowd said. Although Franklin firefighter Joseph Orr died that same day in "a tragic accident" while enjoying "the great outdoors that he loved," according to the Clarks-Chapel Fire and Rescue Department, neither the department nor the U.S. Forest Service would confirm Orr was the drowning victim.
Dowd did confirm that the U.S. Forest Service is the lead investigating agency into the death of Alicia Monahan, a firefighter from Virginia who died June 25 on the Nantahala River, in the Nantahala National Forest.
Phillip D. Williams, 53, of Kingsport, Tennessee, died in May while swimming at Elk River Falls in Pisgah National Forest.
There have also been recent deaths in WNC's national parks. On Aug. 2, William Dashiell, 71, was killed on the Blue Ridge Parkway while riding his motorcycle near Mount Mitchell and swerved to avoid a fallen tree.
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On Aug. 5, a Knoxville, Tennessee man was found dead in a remote section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Balsam Mountain in North Carolina. Bryce Evans, 23, was discovered after being reported missing by his family earlier in the week. Smokies spokesperson Dana Soehn said no foul play is suspected, but the investigation is still ongoing.
Evans' death marked the second reported death in the Smokies in little more than a week. On July 27 a 7-year-old girl was killed when a large red maple tree fell on the tent where she was sleeping with her family in the Elkmont Campground on the Tennessee side of the park.
A celebration of life for Read will be at 6 p.m. Aug. 16 at French Broad Outfitters at Hominy Creek Outpost, 704 Riverside Drive in Asheville, according to a Facebook event post.
The post also noted that Read "was a quiet man and enjoyed camping and hiking or just relaxing at home with his family. He was an amazing cook and sandwich-making (extraordinaire). Sean was also a big fan of music and especially loved Phish and attended shows throughout his life."
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Pisgah National Forest's Max Patch: Missing Asheville man found dead
