A 21-year-old man who had been missing for weeks was found dead at the bottom of a 50-foot-deep well outside of a Virginia church after parishioners reported a foul odor, according to police.
First responders recovered the body of Graham Norris Horne from the well at the St. Stephen Rzua Church in rural Mecklenburg County on Monday.
The body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia who positively identified Horne through fingerprints, according to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.
Horne was last seen Aug. 15, when he was traveling with the North Carolina-based faith group Met by Love Ministries, which had stopped at Simmons Truck Stop in Bracey for gas, WRAL reported.
He stormed off alone after getting into an argument with some of his fellow travelers, police said. Horner did not have a cell phone and had no ties to the local community.
The gas station is just over six miles from the church where he was found.
A man who answered the phone at Met by Love Ministries when contacted by the Post declined to comment before hanging up.
“Our hearts and prayers are with the family and friends affected during this difficult time,” the South Hill Volunteer Fire Department, which assisted in pulling Horne’s body from the well, said in a statement. “We also ask that you keep our first responders in your thoughts and prayers as well.”
The investigation remains ongoing, the sheriff’s office said.
