Missing 85-year-old Canton man with dementia found dead
Byron Jones. Photos courtesy of Canton Police Department
CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. - The search for a missing 85-year-old man in Cherokee County has ended with a tragic update.
Authorities have confirmed with FOX 5's Denise Dillon that Byron Eugene "Gene" Jones has been found dead. Police say that his car was found in Cherokee County, North Carolina, and he was found relatively close to his vehicle.
What we know:
According to Gene Jones' family, the elderly man was last seen on April 21 in Canton.
Jones, who suffers from dementia and other medical conditions that require regular medication, was last seen driving a navy blue 2015 Toyota Camry hybrid, license plate number TBX7562.
An image of Jones' vehicle was captured by a Flock camera at 8:52 p.m. on April 21 in Blue Ridge. He had not been seen since.
Family members and officials had been actively searching in several counties around metro Atlanta and were offering a $25,000 reward for information that led to Jones' safe recovery.
What we don't know:
It is not clear what Jones' cause of death is at this time.
What you can do:
If you have any information that could help with the case, call the Canton Police Department at (770) 720-4883 or Cherokee County Emergency Services at (678) 493-4080.
The Source: Information for above story came from Cherokee County Sheriff's Office and previous FOX 5 Atlanta reports.