Family Plans Vigil for Missing 'Mountain Man'; Search Continues

Friday, August 23, marke 50 days since Vaughn Callenback went missing, according to his daughter Joanie Callenback Knight.Photo byJoanie Callenback Knight/Facebook

Beth Darnell, acting sheriff for Rabun County, turned to social media last week, seeking to reassure the community about her office’s ongoing efforts to locate a missing man.

Vaughn Callenback has not been seen since July 5. In her video statement, Darnell sought to reassure the community that law enforcement and other first responders are still searching for the missing 77-year-old.

“This is very important to us as much as it is the community,” Darnell said. “This is an active, ongoing case. It is not closed and it has never been closed.”

In the brief, 50 second video, Darnell did not reveal any new information about the case.

Acting Rabun County Sheriff Beth Darnell addresses concerns about the search for Callenback in a Facebook livestream on Aug. 15, 2024.Photo byRabun County Sheriff's Office/Facebook

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Critics and supporters

The case has spurred criticism and praise over the sheriff’s office’s handling of it during these past six weeks. Some community members praise first responders for their extensive search efforts, while others, particularly Callenback’s family, have criticized officials for not acting sooner.

That criticism points back to the July 7 discovery of Callenback’s truck over an embankment on Old Coleman River Road. Assuming it was abandoned, the sheriff’s office had the vehicle towed. However, his family says they should have conducted a welfare check on Callenback once they knew who the vehicle was registered to.

Callenback was last seen depositing funds at United Community Bank in Clayton on Friday, July 5. The area where his truck was found was not searched until Saturday, July 13, when his family reported him missing and learned his truck had been found.

Search

According to Rabun County Sheriff’s Office LT Mark Gerrells II, the Rabun County Office of Emergency Management and the Rabun County Volunteer Search and Rescue were contacted on the evening of July 13. They conducted what EMA Director Brian Parnell called a “hasty search” in the vicinity of the truck, only to return the next morning at daylight to continue searching for the aged “mountain man,” as his Callenback’s family describes him.

Searches continued over the next six days, logging more than 200 miles searched and 119 hours.

By the time the searches began, Callenback had not been seen by anyone in eight days.

Frustration continues

Callenback’s daughter, Joanie Callenback Knight, is frustrated at not having received any new information from the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office.

“There haven’t been any updates given to me,” she tells Now Habersham. “Today (Friday, August 23) makes 50 days since he’s been missing.”

Knight, who has taken to social media and media outlets across the state, including Now Habersham and Fox Five, maintains that the sheriff’s office has not been forthcoming.

“I know they have stopped the active search party a while back,” she claims.

Knight is planning a candlelight vigil for her father on Saturday, August 31, at 8 p.m. in front of the Rabun County Courthouse in Clayton.

Now Habersham reached out to the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office for an update on the case and information about recent searches. As of publication, they had not responded.