https://www.wbtv.com/2025/12/22/missing-hunter-found-dead-near-tree-stand-rowan-county/
12/22/2025
A missing hunter was found dead near a tree stand in Rowan County last week, deputies said on Monday.
Reports stated that the hunter, identified as 41-year-old Jerry Sutton Jr., was reported missing on Dec. 15 and was found dead in Salisbury the following day.
Deputies said a family member dropped Sutton off around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at a detached garage along Bringle Ferry Road, where he had the landowner’s permission to stay while hunting on the property.
After nearly a week without contact, deputies conducted a welfare check at the garage, where they found his belongings but not him. The following day, Sutton was found dead on the ground near a tree stand, where authorities believe he may have fallen.
The medical examiner is still investigating to determine the cause of Sutton’s death.