Fredericksburg, Prince William Civil Air Patrol called to search for missing man

Civil Air Patrol members from Fredericksburg and Manassas were called to search for a missing North Carolina man.

They were dispatched to the Tar Heel State to help search search for Joseph Peel, 86, who went missing from a nursing home in Como, N.C. Officials said he walked away from the home.

The man was not found while the Virginia Civil Air Patrol members were in the state. They were sent back to Virginia after Officials called off the search and rescue operation and instead began a recovery effort to find Peel’s body. So far, nothing has been found.

The Civil Air Patrol sent 15 ground team members Sunday, February 9 and as the search expanded requested support from Virginia, Potomac Local News was told on Saturday, February 15. Teams were formed from across the entire state including Fredericksburg, Manassas, Newport News, Virginia Beach, Lynchburg, Richmond, and a member from Washington, D.C., CAP’s National Capital Wing.

The teams arrived Monday, February 10 and Tuesday morning, February 11.

“While we are disappointed that the missing man wasn’t located, we are grateful for and highly impressed with the quick and ready response of the Virginia Wing,” Captain Scott Stevens, NC Wing’s Director of Emergency Services said.