Search called off for missing Wintergreen hiker

    Investigators have found there is no evidence of foul play in the disappearance of a Charlottesville man who was reported missing from his vacation home at Wintergreen Resort on Wednesday.
    A spokesperson for the resort said the search for Michael Comer, 45, was called off late Thursday and did not resume on Friday. Search-and-rescue teams converged on the resort community Thursday to comb the hiking trails and surrounding areas for Comer, whose wife reported him missing around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
    Nelson County Sheriff David Brooks said Friday that the matter is being looked at as a missing person case at this point.
    “There’s no evidence that there was a crime committed,” Brooks said. “There’s no evidence to lead us to believe there was foul play involved.”
    Comer had arrived at the resort around noon on Wednesday and reportedly went for a hike. Brooks said Friday that it is not known if he went hiking and his office did not release that information.
    Comer’s car was seen going into the resort Wednesday and was still there Friday, Brooks said. The sheriff’s office contacted Albemarle County authorities because of his residency, he said, and they came to the resort on Thursday to help investigate.
    “We wanted to eliminate foul play,” Brooks said.
    Wintergreen police contacted the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, which sent personnel to the resort Thursday, said Laura Southard, a spokeswoman for the department. It provided management structure during the search but had no further involvement when it became a law enforcement issue, she said on Friday.
    Officials have said they would consider investigating other “areas and avenues” that may be connected to Comer’s disappearance.
    Comer is president of Glenmore County Club, a privately owned club located east of Shadwell, and is project manager for Glenmore Associates, the developer of the Glenmore community, and other commercial projects, according to Glenmore Country Club’s Web site.