19-year-old dad who went missing after police chase found dead in river, NC cops say
A man who became a new father last year was found dead in a North Carolina river, deputies said.
The 19-year-old had been missing for multiple days following a police chase in Burlington that deputies said he ran from, WFMY reported. His body was discovered in the Haw River on Jan. 31, the news outlet reported.
Investigators noticed muddy clothing in the river and sent a dive team to check it out, WFMY reported. When they got closer, it felt as if the piece of clothing was attached to a body, WXII reported.
They eventually pulled out the body as the water receded, Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said in a Jan. 31 news conference streamed on Facebook by WXII.
The body was later identified by family as Antwain Demar McDaniel, authorities told news outlets.
The search for McDaniel started Sunday, Jan. 28, after deputies said he was in a car with multiple people who were suspected of breaking into vehicles, WXII reported.
The group was chased by law enforcement until they all got out of the car to run away, deputies said, according to the outlet. McDaniel walked into the woods near the Haw River.
Deputies said the man was not facing charges at the time, WXII reported.
A missing person alert was issued for McDaniel, who was last seen at about 4 a.m. that morning by a friend, according to Alamance County CrimeStoppers.
McDaniel was a “hardworking young man” who became a father in 2023, according to a Facebook post from Lovely Bigelow, who knew the 19-year-old.
Before McDaniel’s body was found, his mother, Angela McDaniel, told WFMY she couldn’t sleep until her son returned or she got “a call saying they know where my baby’s at.”
“He was only 19-years-old, it’s not fair to me, it’s not fair to his brothers and sisters and it ain’t fair to his daughter,” his mother told WFMY.
One of the people who deputies said was part of the police chase was arrested and charged with breaking-and-entering vehicles, according to WFMY. The two others in the vehicle are also expected to face similar charges, the news outlet reported.
Burlington is about 60 miles northwest of Raleigh.
This story was originally published February 1, 2024 at 2:05 PM with the headline "19-year-old dad who went missing after police chase found dead in river, NC cops say."
