A missing Avery County man’s body has been found in Mitchell County. Michael Shawn Hartley, age 48 had been missing since October 6th. His body was found by Mitchell County Sheriff’s deputies in Beaver Creek, below the Spruce Pine watershed, on October 21st. Apparently Hartley and a friend were in Spruce Pine to dig ginseng. It began to rain and the two men got separated. The friend went home and Hartley continued walking through the mountains. Hartley’s family filed a missing persons report around the 15th and since he was last seen in Mitchell County Mitchell deputies began checking his cell phone records. According to Mitchell County Deputy Josh Sparks it takes several days to go through the process of getting an order from a judge to search his cell records. On the 21st deputies had received the information and were able to search and find Mr.Hartley. No immediate cause of death could be determined. An autopsy is being performed.
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