Body of missing Staunton man found in Weyers Cave

WEYERS CAVE — The Augusta County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that a body found Friday night in Weyers Cave was that of a Staunton man who was reported missing a day earlier.

Gregory "Drew" Merritt was 24 years old.

The Staunton Police Department reported on June 20 that Merritt was missing, and said he was last seen June 15.

On Friday night, the Augusta County Sheriff's Office asked for Staunton's assistance with locating Merritt in the Weyers Cave area, a press release said. Deputies from the sheriff's office canvassed Merritt's last known location but were unsuccessful in locating him.

Shortly before 8 p.m., after a cadaver canine from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management was brought in, Merritt's body was found in a wood line near the 700 block of Keezletown Road, the press release said.

Augusta County Sheriff Donald Smith said it appears Merritt took his own life.

No additional details will be released at this time, the sheriff's office said.

A GoFundMe page set up to assist Merritt's family had raised $4,000 of a $10,000 goal by Wednesday evening.

Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).