Buchanan County, VA (WOAY) – Two men were found dead inside an abandoned Virginia coal mine.
According to a media release from the Buchanan County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office, the bodies of 53-year-old Jerry Orville Jenks, of Paynesville, WV, and 49-year-old Jerry Chambers Jr., of Jewell Ridge, VA, were found hours after the men went missing.
According to the news release, the two men were reported missing shortly after midnight on Wednesday, August 20th in the Spruce Pine section of Buchanan County. Investigators had reason to believe that the two men had entered an abandoned drift mine along Spruce Pine Road.
Buchanan County Deputies, The Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy and the Mine Safety and Health Administration along with teams from the Department of Energy and Coronado Mine Rescue were contacted for assistance.
Mine rescue teams were able to successfully recover the bodies, which were confirmed to be the men reported missing. The bodies have been transported to the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical
Examiner in Roanoke for autopsy.
The investigation remains ongoing by the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office.
