56-year-old man never returned from trail ride. Then NC cops found his ATV in a creek
The body of a missing North Carolina man was found a few hundred yards downstream from his overturned ATV after he disappeared on a trail ride over the weekend.
A dive team found Paul Shannon Geber in Mary’s Creek on Sunday, March 13, nearly 24 hours after he first set off from his home on Whitney Road in Graham, North Carolina. Family members told law enforcement the 56-year-old went ATV riding on some nearby trails but never came home.
Graham, a city of roughly 17,000 people, is about 30 miles west of Durham.
“The family is very appreciative to everyone involved in looking for Mr. Geber. I am asking that everyone keep this family in their thoughts and prayers,” Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said in a news release. “I’ve been here throughout the day and I am so proud of our partnership with all of these agencies who came together in searching for Mr. Geber.”
Geber was reported missing just after 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 12, — nearly three hours after he left the house at 4:55 p.m., the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office said.
Additional deputies as well as personnel from Alamance County Emergency Management, N.C. Emergency Management, the Eli Whitney Fire Department, the Elon Fire Department, Alamance County EMS and Alamance County Rescue were called in to help with the search.
The teams set up a command post in the parking lot of a nearby elementary school, the sheriff’s office said, and a helicopter from the N.C. Highway Patrol was deployed to aid their efforts.
Law enforcement wasn’t able to ping Geber’s cell phone, which his provider said appeared to be turned off.
“As weather conditions continued to deteriorate with falling temperatures and gusty winds, more resources were called in as the search for Mr. Geber continued throughout the night,” the sheriff’s office said.
Several off-duty deputies stepped in to help with the search by early morning on March 13. Drones, helicopters, K9 Search and Rescue Teams and an underwater rescue team were also being utilized. Then, about 12 hours after he was reported missing, a special response team found Geber’s ATV overturned in Mary’s Creek.
The dive team’s initial search for Geber was unsuccessful, but a second sweep farther down the creek led them to his body just before 3:30 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.
Geber was found about 350 yards from his ATV in Mary’s Creek, which flows into the Haw River.
His ATV was reportedly found about 2,200 feet from where the creek meets the river.
Law enforcement said they immediately notified the family. A total of 16 agencies and 76 individuals were involved in the search.
This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 6:45 PM with the headline "56-year-old man never returned from trail ride. Then NC cops found his ATV in a creek."
