Missing 74-year-old found dead inside crashed SUV at bottom of embankment, NC cops say
A 74-year-old woman reported missing was found dead one day later buckled into a crashed SUV, officials in North Carolina said.
The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office issued a Silver Alert for Barbara Ann Houser Bellamy, who was last seen at her home in Statesville wearing a nightgown, family members told police.
Bellamy’s family last had contact with her around 3 p.m. on Oct. 18 and she was believed to be in a grey 2003 Lexus RX 300, police said in a news release.
The Silver Alert was canceled on Oct. 19.
Bellamy was found dead around 10:32 a.m. along Brushy Mountain Road in Wilkes County, the North Carolina Highway Patrol told the Wilkes Journal-Patriot.
The 74-year-old was found in the driver’s seat and is believed to have driven off the road down a steep embankment and overturned in the SUV, according to the outlet.
Officials believe she crashed overnight, WCNC reported.
“We were praying for a different outcome other than the one we received,” Bellamy’s brother wrote on Facebook. “We ask that you’ll keep the family in your prayers.”
Statesville is about 40 miles north of Charlotte.
This story was originally published October 20, 2022 at 6:27 PM with the headline "Missing 74-year-old found dead inside crashed SUV at bottom of embankment, NC cops say."
