81-year-old man missing for days saved by marine patrol officer, NC officials say

A North Carolina marine patrol officer is being credited with saving a life, after he rushed to help an 81-year-old man found unconscious in a remote area, according to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries.

Officer Jonathan Morris was towing a boat near Oriental on May 28 when he overheard a radio transmission that authorities located a man “who had been missing and without his medication for several days.”

Morriss was minutes away and realized he could reach the scene faster than any rescue squad.

“So Morriss disconnected his boat so he could take his Marine Patrol truck through a remote, heavily wooded area to meet another deputy on scene,” state officials said in a June 1 news release.

“When Morriss got to the scene, he found the man unresponsive but still breathing. Morriss, one of four certified EMT’s with the Marine Patrol’s Swift Water Rescue Team, grabbed his medical bag and helped the man with basic life support until paramedics arrived.”

His actions came to light when a letter of commendation was sent to the state by Pamlico County Emergency Services.

“Morris didn’t hesitate and jumped in to assist local law enforcement agencies in gaining access to the person,” Pamlico County officials wrote in the letter. “Morriss assisted ... until EMS could reach the scene.”

Thomas Jefferson Jones Sr. of Oriental had been last seen around 9 p.m. on May 25, while leaving a friend’s house, the Pamlico County Sheriff’s office said. He never arrived home that night and an NC Silver Alert had been issued as the search stretched over days, officials said.

The sheriff’s office did not provide an update on his condition.

Morriss has been with the state’s Marine Patrol for 4.5 years and works primarily in the Oriental area of southern Pamlico County, state officials said. He has been in law enforcement for 14 years, officials said.

Oriental is about a 145-mile drive southeast from downtown Raleigh, near the Neuse River.