MANTEO — The body of a missing Williamston man was discovered in the water near the Washington Baum Bridge in Dare County earlier this month, according to the Dare County Sheriff’s Office.
A body found in the water near the bridge, which links Roanoke Island and Nags Head, was determined to be that of 19-year-old DeVuan Bland. No foul play is suspected, officials said.
Bland’s body was found by a boater around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 5, according to the Dare Sheriff’s Office. The body was found in water off Pirate’s Cove, about 500 yards north of the Washington Baum Bridge.
Bland had been missing ever since he left his residence in Williamston around 9:20 p.m. on Dec. 14. A vehicle was found on the bridge around 11:40 p.m. the same day, its engine running and the driver’s door wide open, the Dare sheriff’s office said.
A wallet and cell phone were found inside the abandoned vehicle.
The wallet held a North Carolina driver’s license for Bland.
Authorities were able to contact Bland’s father, Dequan Bland, because his name was on the vehicle registration. Dequan Bland filed a missing person report on his son with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 15.
Law enforcement officials, the U.S. Coast Guard and N.C. Wildlife officers searched for Bland in the waterways around the Washington Baum Bridge on the morning of Dec. 15. Officers with N.C. Wildlife officers and Marine Patrol continued to search for Bland during their regular shifts on the water.
