A Virginia man who tried to walk home in a snowstorm last Monday after he crashed his car was found dead three days later, a report said.
Jacob Whaley, a Louisa, Virginia resident, disappeared on Monday, Jan. 3 during a heavy snowstorm, according to WRIC.
Authorities later learned the 34-year-old abandoned his car during the storm, and was attempting to make his way home back on foot.
After sending a text to his family around 8:45 p.m. sharing that he was lost, they did not hear from him again, according to authorities.
Whaley’s family contacted the Louisa County Sheriff's Office to notify them that the man was attempting to walk the six miles it took to get back home, suggesting they check near Greene’s Corner Road, according to the outlet.
According to the press release, the sheriff’s office “immediately responded to the family’s request to check both the roadside area along Greene’s Corner Rd, the roadways in between and his residence.”
They did not initially locate Whaley, and a missing person’s report was filed with the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, and a search party of both sheriff’s deputies and volunteers discovered Whaley’s body.
He was found just 200 yards from Greene’s Corner Road, where his family suggested he may be.
According to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, Whaley’s truck was found on Mt. Olive Road, which reaches into the neighboring county of Hanover.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Mr. Jacob Whaley,” the sheriff’s statement read. “Missing Person’s cases are always a top priority for the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office and we share in their grief and sorrow.”
Whaley left his car and set out to get home because "he was concerned about his dogs, and having visitation with his son," his sister wrote on a Facebook fundraiser page.
"Jacob leaves behind his 2 Year Old Son, Jacob Dawson Whaley who was his pride and joy," she wrote. "People have asked me if they could donate to him and I have set aside my pride and decided to make this. All funds will be put into a savings account for Dawson to use for college or whatever he so desires when he gets older."
