Body of Erik Mezick of Fruitland found in Outer Banks

By Liz Holland
Posted 4/9/21

A body found on the beach at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina is believed to be that of Erik Mezick, a Fruitland man missing since Dec. 29 when the truck he was driving plunged over …

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Body of Erik Mezick of Fruitland found in Outer Banks

Posted

A body found on the beach at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina is believed to be that of Erik Mezick, a Fruitland man missing since Dec. 29 when the truck he was driving plunged over the side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

“We said he would present himself when he was ready and in true Eric style he did just that today on his favorite beach!” his brother, Kevin Mezick, said in a post on the Finding Erik Mezick Facebook group.

A local resident reported finding a body of a male on a Cape Hatteras National Seashore beach, between the villages of Salvo and Avon on Friday morning at 9:14 a.m., according to a National Park Service news release.

National Park Service law enforcement rangers, Dare County Sheriff's Office, Dare County Emergency Medical Services and Chicamacomico Banks Fire Department all responded to the 911 call. Shortly after arriving on scene, responders confirmed that the unidentified individual was deceased.

The body appeared to have been in the ocean for an extended period of time, according to the news release. The remains will be transferred to the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office.

Mezick, 47, was last seen exiting the Cloverland Greenspring Dairy truck into the water, but was never seen again. A weeks-long search, particularly at Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge, a barrier island at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, has included private boats, planes and drones and the offer of a $10,000 reward.

The family in the meantime held a memorial service on Feb. 6 and said a burial would be held once Erik’s remains were found.

Erick had worked for Cloverland since last March after taking early retirement from a job as a correctional officer at the Wicomico County Detention Center.

He is survived by his parents, Bicky and Henny Mezick; his wife, Megan Barron Mezick and their two children, Dylan and Hannah; his grandmother, Frances Mezick; two brothers, Adam Mezick and Kevin Mezick, and their sons, Gage, Gavin and Damon; his in-laws, Tom and Anne Barron; brothers-in-law, Tom Barron and Brian Barron; a sister-in-law, Kelli Barron Scholl; and numerous nieces and nephews.

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