UPDATE – The body of an East Texas missing man was found on Wednesday.
William Chad Martin, 38, of Ore City, was located in the Latch Community in Upshur County in a pasture creek bed close to North Live Oak Road, according to the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office.
He was found about half a mile from where he was last spotted on Nov. 5. Martin was last seen running into a 500-acre wooded area.
His body was located by property owners who were helping in the search.
Anthony Betterton, Upshur County Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace, pronounced Martin dead on the scene. His body is also being sent to Forensic Medical Management Services in Tyler for an autopsy.
Officials are still investigating the situation.
“The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office wishes to thank all of those persons who took part in the effort to locate Mr. Martin,” said officials.
UPSHUR COUNTY, Texas (KETK) – The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office said on Tuesday they are looking for a 38-year-old missing man last seen after running into a wooded area with his girlfriend.
Officials said William Chad Martin, of Ore City, was last seen early Nov. 5 after his girlfriend said they had been smoking meth and were drunk the day before.
According to his girlfriend, they thought they had been caught stealing tires and fled in Martin’s truck before running out of gas and the two ran into nearby woods near Live Oak Road in the southwest part of the county.
She later emerged from the woods, but officials said Martin did not and has not been seen since.
The girlfriend told officials they were associating certain lights and cars with law enforcement and were attempting to flee. She described the lights as white and yellow and officials said that was consistent with an electric company work crew that was working in the area that night.
“The Upshur County Sheriff’s investigators have corroborated several details related to the girlfriend’s account,” officials said. “Evidence has been found to indicate that both she and Martin did run into the woods.”
The wooded area is over 500 acres large, according to the sheriff’s office, and is difficult to traverse due to significant drop-offs, ravines, hills and tight foliage. Officials said an emergency response team from Big Sandy assisted in a Saturday search and provided horseback, ATV and a foot search of the area.
The area is divided among multiple land owners and officials said several of them have offered to further search their properties.
“There is no evidence of foul play at this time,” officials said. “The sheriff’s office has fielded several theories and rumors surrounding Martin’s disappearance, but these have not been based in verifiable facts or circumstances.”
