BY TED SHOCKLEY, Eastern Shore Post —
The body of a New Church man missing since after midnight Sunday was found Monday morning in Onancock Creek, the Accomack County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Sheriff Todd Wessells said the body was identified as Miles Porter McIntyre.
McIntyre, 22, was a 2025 graduate of James Madison University and a 2021 graduate of Broadwater Academy.
McIntyre’s body was found at 7:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 4. It has been transported to a Norfolk medical examiner to determine the cause of death, the sheriff’s office reported.
Wessells said the investigation into McIntyre’s death continues and those with information are asked to call the sheriff’s office at 757-787-1131. Tips also can be submitted at accomackcountysheriffsoffice.org
The identification of McIntyre’s body followed a Sunday of searching by law enforcement authorities and the concerned public, which circulated a photograph of the friendly and well-liked young man on social media amid an investigation of his disappearance.
McIntyre was last seen walking at midnight Sunday from Mallards at the Wharf, a popular waterfront Onancock restaurant, to what the sheriff’s office called a “gravel transshipment point” — a loading dock for gravel next to Mallards, the sheriff’s office reported.
Some of McIntyre’s belongings had been found near a bulkhead at the loading dock, according to the sheriff’s office.
Photos showed McIntyre spent at least three hours at Mallards as part of a large crowd that had gathered.
During the Sunday search, area resident Steve Piczak posted on Facebook photos that showed McIntyre listening to a conversation at Mallards at 9 p.m. and posing for the camera at Mallards at 10:55 p.m. with a friend, Luke Parks.
Mallards posted on Facebook two messages related to McIntyre — one on Sunday offering prayer for McIntyre’s family and hoping for his “safe return,” and a second after his body was found.
“Mallards is at a loss for words, and emotions are extremely high today,” the Facebook post said.
The sheriff’s office was contacted Sunday at 12:54 p.m. by the Onancock Police Department requesting assistance in McIntyre’s disappearance.
A search Sunday lasted until 8:30 p.m. and resumed Monday.
The sheriff’s office was assisted in the search by Onancock police, Virginia Marine Police, the Accomack Department of Public Safety, the Onancock Volunteer Fire Department, the Chesapeake Fire Department, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
According to his LinkedIn page, McIntyre earned a bachelor’s degree in integrated science and technology with a concentration in environment and sustainability.
In the summer of 2024, he was an aquaculture intern at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in Wachapreague.
Ally Tarwater, his former music teacher at Broadwater, described McIntyre on Facebook as “kind, funny, thoughtful, talented, and such a beautiful artist.”
“Miles is one of the best people I’ve ever taught,” Tarwater said.
