CORDOVA — Search and rescue teams from across the state traversed the rugged terrain behind the Meadowood neighborhood in hopes of finding additional remains of a woman missing since October.
According to Capt. Mitch Watson of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, 70 searchers joined the effort to find the body of Linda Ann McCuiston.
McCuiston, 77, was last seen in her yard on Country Canyon Drive the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 11, 2024.
The sheriff’s office issued an alert on social media that night and a search of the area was conducted that weekend.
A human skull was reportedly found by a dog on Sunday, March 9. The sheriff’s office announced March 17 that it was identified by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner as belonging to McCuiston.
The sheriff’s office and Richmond County Emergency Services set up a command center at the Cordova Fire Department on Wednesday as the staging area for the search.
Watson said searchers included representatives from most of the fire and rescue departments in Richmond County. Also assisting in the effort were personnel from N.C Emergency Management and Pineland Resources, as well as crews from various counties including Brunswick, Wake, Harnett and Scotland.
The terrain — featuring thick woods, boulders and a steep landscape — along Hitchcock Creek was one challenge for searchers. Another challenge is the predation of wildlife over the past five months.
One of the cadaver dogs being used in the search was trained to smell oils from a human body that rise to the top of the water, Watson said.
As of 6:20 p.m., Watson said searchers had not found any substantial clues.
Watson said the case will remain open until investigators are able to determine a cause of death for McCuiston.
The sheriff’s office had planned to search the Ashley Chapel area for another missing resident, 67-year-old Dennis Wayne Bailey.
However, by mid-afternoon, as the search continued in Cordova, Watson said the sheriff’s office would have to reschedule another large-scale search for Bailey.
As previously reported, Bailey was last seen on Dec. 28, 2024, but wasn’t reported missing until Jan. 2.
First responders searched the Ashley Chapel area of Mizpah Road — where Bailey was reportedly known to walk — after he was reported missing, but to no avail.
In late January, the sheriff’s office posted a letter to the community from Bailey’s sister, Deborah Bailey Jackson, who pleaded for help in bringing him home.
“We understand that circumstances may be complicated, but we implore those who may have knowledge of his whereabouts, or who may have harmed him, to come forward,” Jackson said. “Our love for Dennis drives us to seek closure. If he is no longer with us, we want to ensure he is brought to rest with the dignity and love he deserves.
“Please, if you have any information or can point us in the right direction, we urge you to speak up. You can reach out to us directly or contact the authorities.”
A total reward of $5,200 is being offered for information leading to the location of Bailey.
Watson confirmed on Wednesday that two other men who have been missing for several years have not yet been found.
Alvin Benson Covington, who was 57 at the time of his disappearance in late September of 2015, is still missing.
A search involving more than 20 public and private agencies from Northside Drive to Cartledge Creek Road was conducted in March of 2016.
Sol Vain Zivek, who had legally changed his name from Joseph Michael Blake, was last seen March 23 and his last known communication was a text message on March 29 of 2019. Deputies and SAR teams searched for Zivek in late April of that year.
Anyone with information on any of these missing persons cases is encouraged to call 911 or use the P3 Tips app.
