North Carolina officials said a body was discovered on Tuesday amid an ongoing search for a man who vanished in January.
WRAL reported that the body, which has not yet been positively identified, was located in a pond about five miles from Clinton Bonnell’s home in Fayetteville. Bonnell vanished on January 27, and alarms were raised after he did not attend class at Methodist University, where he is enrolled in the physician assistant program.
Reports indicated that Bonnell, 50, texted a friend that he was heading home — though it is unclear whether he made it.
Bonnell’s phone has been off since January 28. Cumberland County police conducted a welfare check at his home and only located his car.
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The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to The Fayetteville Observer that they are executing a search warrant at Bonnell’s home. Sergeant Mickey Locklear said the body found in a nearby pond and the search warrant at Bonnell’s home are separate cases.
Bonnell retired from the military a month before he vanished.
“Contrary to what some might believe, my brother was not suicidal and would not have abandoned his life. When I saw him in December, he was very happy and excited for his future,” Bonnell’s sister wrote on a GoFundMe page regarding his ongoing disappearance.
Anyone with information regarding Bonnell’s whereabouts is asked to call Sergeant J. McLeod at 910-677-5548 or Cumberland County Crimestoppers at 910-483-TIPS.
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[Feature Photo: Cumberland County police]
