ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The disappearance of Gabriel Thor Crow remains unsolved more than two years after he was last seen in West Asheville, despite extensive searches and a multi-agency investigation, authorities said.
Crow was last seen Jan. 27, 2024, near Starnes Cove Road and Yosemite Trail, according to the Asheville Police Department and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. He was reported missing by his family the following day.
Police said multiple agencies have spent hundreds of hours investigating the case. In April 2024, the Asheville Police Department coordinated a large-scale search of Spivey Mountain and surrounding areas involving law enforcement, fire and emergency service agencies.
“Unfortunately, no evidence regarding the whereabouts of Mr. Crow was found that day, and there has been no new information since,” APD spokesman Rick Rice said. The case remains open and active, he added.
Efforts to reach Crow’s family Tuesday were unsuccessful.
According to NamUs, a Buncombe County sheriff’s deputy located a rental car Crow had been using in a field off Starnes Cove Road around midday on Jan. 27, 2024. The doors were open, and Crow was later found walking nearby. The deputy spoke with Crow, who said he had been visiting a friend, discovered information that made him uncomfortable and believed something may have been put in his car, the website states.
Crow told the deputy the vehicle’s keys had been thrown into the field and that he was trying to reach a gas station. He declined a ride and continued walking. That encounter was the last reported sighting of Crow.
The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office has not publicly confirmed details of the interaction, though family members have said a deputy was the last person known to have seen him.
Crow is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and is known in the community as a skilled artisan, particularly for his work in traditional rivercane basketry. He is described as 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing about 170 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He has distinctive tattoos on his neck, including a green claw and a skull and crossbones. He was last seen wearing dark-colored jeans and a black jacket.
Authorities continue to urge anyone with information, no matter how small, to come forward or contact the Asheville Police Department at 828-252-1110, submit an anonymous tip through the TIP2APD smartphone app or text TIP2APD to 847411.
