Missing Man Located Safely

The following press release has been issued by Towns County Sheriff's Office.

On Friday evening, June 16th, a call came into the Towns County 911 Center of an elderly man who had wandered off from a residence on Hickory Cove Lane in Hiawassee.  Towns County Sheriff’s deputies, along with personnel from the Towns County Fire and Rescue responded to the scene.  The missing person was identified as George Chastain, age 87, of Starkville, Mississippi.  The missing man was at the residence on Hickory Cove Lane visiting and was last seen at 8:00pm. 

Towns County Sheriff’s Office and Fire and Rescue personnel searched the immediate area around the residence, but they were unable to locate the missing person.  A CodeRED telephone alert was sent out to the Upper Bell Creek Area to notify the residents to be on the lookout for the missing person.  He was last seen wearing a yellow shirt and tan khaki pants and described as 5’7” in height and 150 pounds.  The Towns County Sheriff’s Office’s bloodhound was used to search the area, along with another bloodhound from Blairsville. A heavy rain had occurred prior to the bloodhounds arriving on the scene and the dogs were unable to locate the missing person.

A helicopter with heat-seeking thermal imaging was requested from the Georgia State Patrol Aviation Unit and arrived on the scene to fly the area surrounding the residence.  The helicopter was unable to locate the missing person. 

On Saturday morning, as ground searchers were planning to search the area further, the missing person was located by a neighbor and returned to the residence. 

CodeRED delivers notifications by phone calls to landlines and cell phones, emails, texts, social media, and/or mobile alerts.  CodeRED is compatible with TDD/TTY devices for those with hearing impairments.  Individuals and businesses may add as many phone numbers, emails, and texts numbers you’d like.  Registering for CodeRED is quick and easy. There is no charge to register for or use CodeRED and your personal information will be kept confidential. If you would like to be included in this automated alert system to receive emergency alerts, go to this web address and sign up using your landline telephone or cell phone numbers: https://public.coderedweb.com/cne/6B4D39EC2439  

Add the following numbers to your caller ID:
866-419-5000 - EMERGENCY CALLS
855-969-4636 - GENERAL CALLS
800-566-9780 – WEATHER WARNINGS

As well, residents and visitors alike can receive enhanced public safety alerts no matter where you are located via the CodeRED Mobile Alert app - a free public safety app for both Android and iPhone users. The CodeRED Mobile Alert app delivers community and emergency alerts to individuals targeted within an impacted geographical area so that you may also receive timely notifications when you’re on the road, away from home.  

If you are currently a CodeRED subscriber who has already registered your mobile phone to receive notifications from Towns County, you will continue to receive calls.  However, if you download the CodeRED Mobile Alert app, you will also be able to receive alerts via your smartphone anywhere in the country, including Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Alaska.

To download the free CodeRED Mobile Alert app, visit the Google Play or iTunes store.