Missing Columbus County man found dead in flood waters

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Search crews found the body of a Columbus County man missing since Sunday evening.

Assistant Coroner William Hannah says crews found Danny Chestnut’s body at the edge of some woods about 50 feet off of 7 Creeks Highway in Nakina. Hannah says Chestnut drowned in the flooding left behind by Hurricane Matthew.

Hannah said Chestnut was underwater until the flooding in the area started to recede a bit, which let crews spot him around 10:15 a.m.

Chestnut is at least the 15th person to die in North Carolina as a result of the storm.

Family and friends say that around 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Chestnut left his son’s house and headed home. However, he never made it back to his house. Crews found his truck just up the flooded road from Gore’s Chapel yesterday morning.