Damon Petrie, 60, last seen Dec. 15; sheriff’s office asks public to report tips

Ashland.news staff report

Authorities are seeking the public’s help in locating a 60-year-old Eugene man who has been missing since mid-December.

Damon Petrie was last seen Dec. 15 but was not reported missing until Dec. 18, according to the Aware Foundation of Virginia, a nonprofit that assists with missing-person cases. The organization said Petrie had been in White City visiting a friend identified only as “Jimmy.”

For reasons that remain unclear, Jimmy claimed he dropped Petrie near the Green Springs Inn, about 17 miles east of Ashland along Highway 66. He said he waited at the inn for about two hours for Petrie to return, then drove around the area searching for him.

Aaron Lewis, public information officer for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, said the agency’s search and rescue teams have searched the area.

However, Lewis said the reporting party to the sheriff’s search and rescue team provided inaccurate information regarding Petrie’s disappearance, complicating efforts to locate him. Lewis declined to identify the person who reported Petrie’s disappearance.

According to the Aware Foundation, Petrie has brown hair and blue eyes. It is believed he was not wearing a coat when he went missing. The organization said he had difficulty walking due to swollen legs and was thought to be wearing blue sweatpants and a sweatshirt. He is 6 feet tall and weighs 200 lbs.

Lewis declined Monday to comment further on the investigation, noting that the lead detective was not on duty Monday.

Anyone with information about Petrie’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 541-774-6800 (reference case No. J25353048).

Email Ashland.news associate editor Steve Mitchell at [email protected].