Man last seen as Hurricane Dorian hit NC three months ago is still missing, cops say

A search is underway in Eastern North Carolina for a coastal man who has been missing since Hurricane Dorian made landfall at Cape Hatteras on Sept. 6.

Why it took three months for people to notice 26-year-old Dreyton Jones was gone is one of many questions being raised in the odd missing person’s case.

Investigators with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office posted a cryptic note Monday on Facebook saying Jones is now considered officially missing.

Jones was “last seen before Hurricane Dorian” near the Lowe’s Home Improvement store in Shallotte, the post said.

The post has since been shared by the National Center for Missing and Endangered, Inc, but with no additional details.

Investigators have not said if they suspect Jones’ disappearance is linked to the hurricane, which brought 6 inches of rain and 54-mph wind gusts to Shallotte, according to National Weather Service.

The town is less than 10 miles from the Intracoastal Waterway and opened shelters during the storm.

At least three deaths in North Carolina were attributed to Hurricane Dorian, which caused devastating floods to some parts of the state, including the Outer Banks.

The county’s Facebook post on Jones has been shared hundreds of times since late Monday, and raised a lot of questions from commenters.

“I hope he’s found safe, but why has it taken so long to report him missing?” asked Christy Hughes-Boyle.

“I was thanking the same thing,” Hannah Carney posted.

“Something is wrong with this picture,” added Cornelius D Williams.

Some people who said they were friends of Jones blamed the long delay on the fact he lived alone and many didn’t realize he was missing.

“He used to come by our house every so often to chill (and) we wondered why we hadn’t seen him in so long. Praying he is found safe!” wrote one person in response to the questions.

Anyone who has information about Jones is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 910-253-2777.

This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 8:44 AM.