Union County search dog finds missing man

Union County search dog finds missing man

By Lisa Gagnon

A search dog from Union County called in by Fannin County investigators found an injured man who had been shot and a .38 nearby, according to local emergency and law enforcement personnel.

The injured man, identified as Brooks McCrorey, 78, and his wife, Barbara, live in Mineral Bluff. The 911 Center received a call from Barbara McCrorey at 6:11 p.m. June 22 after she had tried several times to contact her husband.

“She was out of town…unable to make contact with her husband at the residence,” said EMA/EMS Director Lonnie Oliver. He said the wife told 911 personnel that after being unable to get in touch with her husband, she’d called the cleaning lady to go to the home. The woman reported McCrorey was not at the residence.

Sheriff and emergency department personnel were unable to find McCrorey and called in a search dog from Union County. The dog was on the scene by 8:08 p.m. and found McCrorey in the woods not far from his driveway, according to Oliver.

“The dog actually found him within 15 minutes,” he said.

“All we know is he was found in the woods across from his residence. He was out working on his fence,” said Fannin County Sheriff Dane Kirby.

McCrorey was able to talk and was still conscious, Oliver noted. Because of the rain, McCrorey was transported by Med Unit 11 to Union General Hospital in Blairsville, instead of by helicopter. He was later transferred to Atlanta Medical Center.

According to Kirby, the .38 was found by the dog nearby after it found McCrorey. Law enforcement personnel are presently running tests to determine whether the .38 was used in the shooting. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI)  has been called in.

“I can’t give a whole lot of information out about this case, because it is still…open. GBI has interviewed the victim,” Kirby said.