Overview
- Search-and-rescue teams located 79-year-old Leonard Hugh Thompson on Dec. 20 near Troutville, according to the Herndon Police Department.
- His car was discovered Dec. 16 on Interstate 81 near Roanoke with a flat tire and missing keys, which prompted a multi-agency search.
- The western district medical examiner in Roanoke is reviewing the case, and officials have not released a cause or manner of death.
- Thompson was last seen Dec. 15 and was reported missing the next day after traveling more than three hours from his Herndon home.
- During the search, Dominique Dawes appealed for public help, sharing law enforcement’s unconfirmed belief of a possible health episode, and later posted a memorial confirming his death.