Body found in creek is man reported missing after crash, deputies say

BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — The body of a man reported missing after a crash in Burke County was found in a creek on Friday, deputies said.

Kao Hang, 51, was last seen at around 9 p.m. on Oct. 27 at the intersection of Icard School Road and Icard Rhodhiss Road near Icard Elementary School.

His family said he had been out hunting when he was involved in a head-on collision. They said that for some reason, he walked away from the scene and hadn’t been seen since.

Channel 9′s Dave Faherty was in the area and could see SBI agents, deputies and local firefighters near the intersection on Friday morning, trying to find out what happened to Hang. Search teams were using dogs, along with a drone to help search for him.

Hang’s family members were there, hoping deputies could get to the bottom of what happened. His daughter fought back tears, saying her father wouldn’t leave his family behind.

Hang was not found during the initial search but local officials continued an expanded search around 4 p.m.

A short time later, crews found a body in a creek near the area of Highway 70 and East Burke Boulevard, officials said. The body was taken to the hospital and later was positively identified as Hang.

Officials said the cause of his death was blunt force trauma to the neck resulting from a high fall.

The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who may have seen Hang walking in the area, to contact the Burke County Sheriff’s Office at 828-438-5500.

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