Body found at bottom of Lovers Leap overlook identified by Patrick County's Sheriff's Office

Patrick County Sheriff says the body found was Phillip Lilly.

PATRICK COUNTY, Va. – UPDATE: 

The body recovered from Lover's Leap in Vesta has been identified as Phillip Daniel Lilly, according to the Patrick County Sheriff's Office. 

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Lilly was from Ridgeway, and was reported missing to the Henry County Sheriff's Office over a month ago.

Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith said he was notified Friday night of the medical examiner's report, but he waited until Lilly's family was notified.

The sheriff added that he was told by Henry County Sheriff's Office Captain D.W. Davis that their investigation into Lilly's disappearance is closed.

 

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Authorities found a body at the base of the Lovers Leap overlook on Thursday, according to Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith.

On Tuesday, crews found the car of 62-year-old missing man Phillip Lilly about 500 feet below the overlook.

On Thursday, searchers descended mountainside at the entrance of Fred Clifton Park, which was a different access point from what they used to recover the vehicle.  

Crews found the body at about 4 p.m., several hundred feet below where VDOT employees first discovered the vehicle on Monday, said Smith.

By 7 p.m. Thursday, the body had been lifted from the mountain.  

“At this point, the body will be sent to the medical examiner’s office in Roanoke for autopsy and identification,” Smith said.  

The medical examiner’s findings will play a significant role in determining if foul play exists, according to the sheriff.