Friday, 8 p.m. - The Rockbridge County Sheriff's Office just announced that during a second day of searching in conjunction with the investigation into the 2022 disappearance of a Vesuvius man, what appear to be human remains were discovered.
The coordinated search efforts today were conducted in the Sallings Mountain Road and Forge Road area by personnel from the sheriff's office and partnering agencies as part of an ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Dustin Cody Butler. The remains have been transported for
forensic examination and identification by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Personnel from multiple agencies had conducted a search in the same area on Monday.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family who are waiting for answers,” said Sheriff Tony McFaddin. “We are committed to conducting a thorough and respectful investigation and will continue to provide updates as soon as we are able to share verified information.”
Anyone with relevant information is encouraged to contact the Office of the Sheriff for Rockbridge County and Lexington City at 540-463-7328.
Wednesday -Members of several different organizations gathered in the Sallings Mountain Road and Forge Road area outside of Glasgow on Monday to conduct a search as part of the ongoing investigation of a local man who went missing more than two years ago.
Dustin Cody Butler of Vesuvius was last seen on Dec. 5, 2022, at a residence in Glasgow, where he got into an argument with someone at the residence and departed on foot, according to a January 2023 post from the Aware Foundation, a national nonprofit that works to bring attention to missing persons. The post notes that Butler was possibly wearing his black rimmed glasses and a blue Columbia Jacket and that he “suffers from bipolar [and] depression [and] is without his medications.”
“Our hearts remain with Dustin’s family as we continue to seek answers,” Rockbridge County Sheriff Tony McFaddin said in a statement announcing the search, which was posted to the department’s Facebook page Monday morning. “We are committed to following every lead and doing everything in our power to bring resolution to this case. We ask the community to come forward with any information — no matter how small it may seem.”
Late last year, the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office received several tips that Butler may have been seen in the Sallings Mountain/Forge Road area, which prompted this week’s search. Members of the sheriff’s office were joined by several other organizations, including the Department of Emergency Management, the Virginia State Police, Rockbridge County Fire and Rescue, the Virginia Conservation Police, and cadets from Virginia Military Institute.
“The search was productive,” McFaddin told The News-Gazette on Tuesday. “We were able to get a large contingency of helpers and were able to cover a large area of land that we weren’t able to cover before.”
McFaddin said that members of the search group found some “items of interest” that would be investigated further to determine what significance, if any, they had to Butler’s disappearance. He also said that there are some areas that the department wanted to search again, this time bringing in canine units to assist with the search. That search, he said, will take place in “about a week or two,” depending on when dogs are available to help with the search.
At the time of his disappearance, Butler was wanted by the sheriff’s office on warrants for production of child pornography and possession of child pornography. Members of Butler’s family say that the charges stem from a consensual relationship that Butler was having with a 17-year-old.
