Missing man’s body found at a graveyard. Homicide suspected, NC sheriff says

The search for a missing North Carolina man took a surprising turn when he was found dead at a rural cemetery, according to investigators.

How he died has not been released, but the case is being handled as a homicide investigation, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office said in a Feb. 10 news release.

“On Monday, February 9 ... investigators were assisting the Red Springs Police Department with a missing person investigation when deputies were dispatched to a report of a suspicious vehicle at a cemetery located on Fodiesville Road in Shannon,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Upon arrival, deputies discovered Michael Graham, 30, deceased at the scene.”

Graham was last seen around 12:40 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8, while driving a 2016 Ford Fusion in the area of Old Lowery Road in Red Springs, officials said.

Investigators are seeking to review surveillance footage “for any suspicious activity around the time and date of Graham’s disappearance” in the area of Old Lowery and Fodiesville roads.

The N.C. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting in the investigation, officials said.

Shannon is about a 90-mile drive southwest from downtown Raleigh.