A burned car containing a body was discovered Sunday in Lawrence County amid the search for Greg Varnado, who has been missing since Aug. 15.
Sheriff Ryan Everett said a resident called him and said the car had been found on a relative’s property.
“I immediately notified our investigators and the MBI Agent that is assisting us with our missing persons case of the discovery and the location,” Everett said. “At the time of discovery, we were able to confirm that there was a deceased subject in the vehicle. We are hoping that DNA analysis will assist us in identification, very soon.”
The discovery marks the most significant development in the search for Varnado, who the Mississippi Department of Public Safety said was last seen at Verious Lewis. Lane east of Monticello.
His family members, many of them from Pike County, said Varnado was last seen at city hall and had recently lost his city job.
Varnado and his blue Chevrolet SUV had been the subject of intense search efforts in Lawrence County.
Everett released a statement about the discovery of the car and body on Wednesday evening.
“I was hesitant in making any type of official releases to prevent any possible family of learning of this tragedy through social media,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “This is an ongoing investigation, therefore, the released details will be extremely limited.”
Everett urged anyone with information about Varnado to report it, but stressed, writing in all capital letters, that it must be “based off of actual facts and not speculation and hearsay.”
