Damaged vehicle found abandoned on Blue Ridge Parkway sets off search for Georgia man

The discovery of an abandoned vehicle has ignited a search for a missing Georgia man along the Blue Ridge Parkway, according to the National Park Service.

Investigators say the vehicle belongs to 39-year-old Osha Ray Berry of Pooler.

The vehicle was found early Wednesday, Jan. 25, near milepost 410, officials said in a news release. The area is about 40 miles southwest of Asheville, North Carolina.

“While responding to a report of damaged gates near the US Route 276 entrance to the parkway, law enforcement rangers also discovered an unoccupied vehicle in a nearby overlook,” the park reported.

“The vehicle ... showed damage consistent with attempting to drive through a closed gate.”

A search for Berry began immediately in the area, which is near the Frying Pan Tunnel and Graveyard Fields Waterfalls, Virtual Blue Ridge reports.

Transylvania County’s Search and Rescue team is assisting in the search, along with teams from Haywood County, Brevard Rescue, the North Carolina Forest Service and Connestee Fire Rescue, Inc, officials said.

“Officials intend to expand the search area today and call in additional personnel,” the park service said.

Anyone with any information about Berry is asked to call the National Park Service Investigative Services Tip Line at 888-653-0009.

The parkway is a two-lane winding road that “meanders for 469 miles” through Appalachian Mountain forests in western North Carolina and Virginia, according to the National Park Service.

This story was originally published January 26, 2023 at 9:07 AM with the headline "Damaged vehicle found abandoned on Blue Ridge Parkway sets off search for Georgia man."