(WAYNE COUNTY) — A Lenoir County missing person search ended yesterday after a multi-agency search located the body of Justin Maurice Bright. Bright was last seen on October 22, 2025, around 4:30 PM in the area of La Grange, NC. Bright is from Goldsboro, but the missing person report was entered by the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office.

Yesterday, SBI agents and deputies from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office, and officers from the Mount Olive Police Department searched an area off Durham Lake Road for a few hours . The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office sent their helicopter, and Bright was located very quickly after their arrival. The body has been sent to the NC Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy. The investigation surrounding Bright’s death continues.

The following agencies have been working on this case.

— Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office
— Wayne County Sheriff’s Office
— Raleigh Police Department
— Mount Olive Police Department
— North Carolina SBI