Friends of missing Carter County man still looking for answers

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) – According to friends and family, 61-year-old Victor Birchfield left the Elizabethton Municipal Airport around 6:50 am on Thursday, June 20. He was reported missing by his daughter the next day.

After two weeks, those who know Birchfield are still searching for answers.

Birchfield worked in aircraft maintenance at the Elizabethton Airport. That’s where he got to know Dean Davison and Jerry Hayes, who both described Birchfield as hardworking and helpful.

“For me to trust you to work on my airplane that I fly my family in over these mountains, over water, I put a tremendous amount of trust and faith into that person. And Victor was nothing but a professional,” Davidson said.

“If [a] person needed help getting their aircraft up and running, Victor would stop what he’s doing and would go help somebody in need,” Hayes said.

While his work as a mechanic was important, Davison and Hayes said Birchfield was more than a mechanic.

“Victor is so important to us here at the airport,” Hayes said. “And not only at the airport, but just as a friend.”

“He was definitely a trusted friend,” Davidson said.

After they found out Birchfield was missing, his friends sprung into action. Davison began working alongside Birchfield’s daughter to establish a timeline of Birchfield’s whereabouts.

“I think it’s just who Victor was to me and my family,” said Davison. “And so it just keeps driving me.”

The Carter County Sheriff’s Office said it is investigating Birchfield’s disappearance in connection with escaped inmate Billy Fletcher. While Fletcher was captured on July 4 , the search for Birchfield isn’t over.

“We’re just asking people, please, whatever you saw at the time please notify law enforcement, even if you think it’s small,” Hayes said.

“Even if they don’t feel like it’s a big deal it can be very, very helpful in this case,” Davidson said.

Hayes and Davison are asking people in both Carter County and Johnson County to look at camera footage that might show Birchfield in the area between 6:50 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.

Anyone with information about Birchfield is asked to call the Carter County Sheriff’s Office at 423-542-1845 or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND.

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