Body of missing Bluffton man found, police confirm

BLUFFTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Police say they found the body of a 79-year-old Bluffton man who had been missing since late August.

Jack Tribble had been reported missing on Aug. 23 from an assisted living facility on Okatie Highway, Beaufort County deputies said.

Tribble’s body was found Tuesday morning, Detective Sgt. Ryan Fazekas said.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office responded to a pond behind a private home on Okatie Highway approximately one half-mile from the facility where Tribble lived, Fazekas said.

“On behalf of the men and women of the Bluffton Police Department, we are sad about Mr. Tribble and our efforts did not result in the outcome for which we all hoped,” Acting Police Chief Scott Chandler said. “We live in a special community and the Bluffton Police Department is humbled and grateful for all the partner agencies and volunteers who assisted in trying to bring Mr. Tribble safely home.”

Tribble left the facility on foot and had not returned.

Bluffton Police asked residents to review their home security systems and video doorbells from around the time Tribble left the facility for any sign of him.

The two-week search included multiple police agencies and volunteer search and rescue teams, including the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and its Aviation Unit, the State Law Enforcement Division, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department’s Criminal Investigation Division Forensic K-9 Unit, the Bluffton Township Fire District, Hilton Head Island Fire and Rescue, South Carolina K-9 Search and Rescue, a statewide volunteer organization; Spartanburg County Search & Rescue Team, a volunteer organization; and residents and other volunteers, police said.