Marathoner vanished on a run in February. His body may have been found, NC cops say
Rick Travis was a marathoner out for a run along a familiar route in Rowan County when he mysteriously disappeared in February 2019, according to police and media reports.
For months, there was no sign of Travis. Now police think they’ve found his remains.
The Spencer Police Department shared a reporter’s tweet on Facebook confirming the discovery Thursday, though a medical examiner has not yet identified the body.
“Remains of body found in Rowan County on Tuesday by hunter, presumably those of missing man Rick Travis. Medical examiner would have to make positive identification. More details forthcoming,” the post states.
Richard “Rick” Travis — the former head of Rowan County’s Department of Social Services — was reported missing Feb. 11, police said.
Travis, who also ran marathons, took the same run a few times a week near his home in Spencer, the Salisbury Post reported.
His wife, Jean McCoy, told the Post it never took him more than 35 minutes.
When he didn’t return that day after an hour, she drove his route without finding him before calling the police, according to the newspaper.
The 66-year-old was last seen around 3:15 p.m. wearing “loose black running pants cut off at the calf, a silver rain jacket, dark grey and/or black running shoes, and black gloves,” according to missing person reports shared on social media.
Police described him at the time as 6 feet tall and skinny with thick glasses he can “barely see without.” He also had dementia.
Fire fighters, police officers, rescue squads, K-9 teams and several other public agencies searched for Travis during more than 30 missions in the first 24 hours after he disappeared.
Property owners were also asked to search areas where he might have hidden.
“He may have tried to find warmth or shelter on someone’s property in the area,” Spencer Police Department said in a Facebook post on Feb. 14. “Being an avid runner, Rick may have traveled a greater distance than what we would normally expect from others in the general public.”
Salisbury-Rowan Crime Stoppers initially offered a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to his whereabouts. It was later upped to $10,000, WBTV reported.
“The fact that they haven’t found him is very strange, it really is. It’s almost bizarre that they have found nothing of him,” McCoy told WBTV shortly after his disappearance.
But she was willing to “accept whatever,” according to WBTV.
“I really can, and I can deal with it,” she said. “But not knowing is worse than knowing.”
It wasn’t until the last day of 2019 that a deer hunter discovered a body near the Yadkin River, WBTV reported. Investigators believe it’s Travis.
No other details have been reported and a cause of death wasn’t released, but the Spencer Police Department has asked anyone with information on the case to call 704-633-3574.
