RABUN COUNTY, Georgia. – A man from northeast Georgia has been missing since July 5, according to his family.
Vaughan Callenback, 77, was last seen by his daughter, Joanie Callenback Knight, at their home in Franklin County, North Carolina, on July 4. The very last known time he was seen was on July 5 at the United Community Bank in Clayton, where he deposited a check he had received from his daughter, NowHabersham.com reports.
Callenback’s truck was found two days later on Old Coleman River Road. The Rabun County Sheriff’s Office reportedly had the truck towed from the scene. Apparently, the deputy who found the truck believed it had been abandoned. He called the number associated with the registered owner’s name, but received no response.
A missing person report was filed on July 13 after the family realized they had not seen Callenback in nearly a week.
After being criticized on social media by Callenback’s daughter and others for not doing enough to find the missing man, the Rabun County Office of Emergency Management issued a press release on July 26. The press release said its officers and the Rabun County Volunteer Search and Rescue Unit conducted a hasty search near where the truck was found immediately after receiving the missing person report on July 13 and again on July 14.
Over the next six days, additional searches were conducted involving ten different certified tracking dogs, drones, law enforcement officers, Georgia Department of Natural Resources employees, GBI employees, Pickens County Fire Rescue, and volunteers. They reportedly traveled 222.61 miles in their search and spent 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 suffer from dementia. She also mentioned that he “never just walked away.” However, he does suffer from high blood pressure and suffered a heart attack a few years ago.
Knight describes her father as 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing about 160 pounds, with “piercing” blue eyes. She asks anyone who has seen her father to call 911 or contact the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office.
Rabun County
Rabun County has a total area of 377 square miles and about 60% of the land is national forests and state parks. Rabun County is home to most of the Chattahoochess National Forest. There are three major lakes – Lake Burton, Lake Rabun and Lake Seed. The county also has 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 second and third highest peaks in Georgia.
