Full Notification

On Monday afternoon, authorities located human remains in a remote area of Curtis Creek in McDowell County, NC. Detectives with the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office believe the body is that of 20-year-old Gabe Focaracci who has been missing from the Asheville area since June 24^th.  Deputies and Rescue personnel made the discovery in a steep and rugged ravine around one mile from where his car was found on July 12^th.  An autopsy will be conducted this week.
In total, nine searches were made by authorities since the discovery of his car. “I would like to thank the brave men and women from all the different agencies and organizations who have assisted us with these searches. The area is rugged, steep, and very dangerous to operate in”, said Sheriff Ricky Buchanan.
The discovery was made by members of the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office, McDowell Emergency Management, North Carolina Emergency Management Mountain Rescue Team, McDowell EMS and members Randall’s Adventure Training Search and Rescue (RATSAR) out of Alabama.
The Sheriff’s Office would also like to thank the Old Fort Fire Department, Crooked Creek Fire Department, Marion Fire Department, Hankins Fire Department, McDowell Rescue Squad, NC Wildlife Resource Commission, and numerous K9 teams for their help with previous searches.