Elderly 'mountain man' missing since July in Rabun County
Vaughan Callenback
RABUN COUNTY, Ga. - A northeast Georgia man has been missing since July 5, according to his family.
Vaughan Callenback, 77, was last seen by his daughter, Joanie Callenback Knight, at her home in Franklin County, North Carolina, on July 4. The very last known time he was seen was on July 5 at United Community Bank in Clayton, where he deposited a check his daughter had given him, according to NowHabersham.com.
Callenback's truck was found two days later off Old Coleman River Road. The Rabun County Sheriff's Office reportedly had the truck towed from the scene. It appears the deputy who found the truck believed it had been abandoned. The deputy called the number associated with the registered owner's name but did not receive an answer.
Vaughan Callenback's truck was found off Old Coleman River Road.
On July 13, a missing persons report was filed after the family realized they had not seen Callenback in almost a week.
After facing criticism from Callenback's daughter and others on social media for not doing enough to find the missing man, the Rabun County Office of Emergency Management issued a press release on July 26. The release stated that their officers and the Rabun County Volunteer Search and Rescue conducted a hasty search near where the truck was found immediately after receiving the missing person's report on July 13 and again on July 14.
Additional searches were conducted over the next six days, involving 10 different certified K-9 resources, drones, law enforcement personnel, employees of Georgia's Department of Natural Resources, employees of the GBI, Pickens County Fire Rescue, and volunteers. They reportedly covered 222.61 miles in their search, spending 119 hours and 45 minutes searching.
According to Knight, her father is a typical "mountain man" who keeps to himself and lives a "simple, humble life" with his dogs and chickens. He also enjoys fishing. Knight says her father does not have a cell phone and does not have dementia. She also mentioned that he has "never just walked away." However, he does have high blood pressure and suffered a heart attack a few years ago.
Knight describes her father as 5-feet-7-inches tall, weighing approximately 160 pounds, with "piercing" blue eyes. She is asking anyone who has seen her father to call 911 or contact the Rabun County Sheriff's Office.
On Thursday, the Rabun County Sheriff's Office also asked the public to call them with any information about the missing man.
Rabun County
Rabun County has a total of 377 square miles and approximately 60% of the land is in national forest and state parks. Rabun County hosts the largest portion of the Chattahoochess National Forest. It has three major lakes – Lake Burton, Lake Rabun and Lake Seed. The county also boasts a large number of trout streams, including the Tallulah River, Coleman River and Charlies Creek. Mountains dominate the topography of Rabun County and Rabun County is home to the 2nd and 3rd highest peaks in Georgia.