Remains Identified as Missing Greensboro Man Missing Since October

Harvey Lee Hairston left an address on Four Seasons Boulevard on October 29, 2025, and was not seen again for five months. The North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed this week that partial human remains found March 31 in a wooded area off Rehobeth Church Road belong to the 70-year-old Greensboro man, closing a search that stretched from fall through winter and into spring.

The discovery began when Greensboro police responded around 10:20 a.m. that Tuesday to a call about suspicious activity in the 3300 block of Rehobeth Church Road. Officers were directed to partial human remains in nearby woods, less than a mile from the 2800 block of Four Seasons Boulevard where Hairston had last been seen. Crime scene investigators processed the area. The remains were transported to the state medical examiner's office in Raleigh, which identified them through medical records. Police said foul play is not suspected.

Hairston was described as a Black man, 5 feet 7 inches tall and about 130 pounds, bald with light brown hair and brown eyes. He was believed to be suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's disease when he disappeared. On the night he went missing, the NC Center for Missing Persons issued a Silver Alert: a statewide notification reserved for adults 65 and older with a diagnosed or suspected cognitive impairment, provided the missing person report is made within 72 hours. Hairston was last seen in possibly green pants and carrying a walking stick, moving on foot in an unknown direction. No confirmed sightings followed.

His next of kin have been notified. The cause of death remains under investigation by the state medical examiner's office.

The five months between Hairston's disappearance and the discovery of his remains near where he was last seen illustrate a pattern common to Silver Alert cases involving elderly people on foot: the alert travels statewide within hours, but dense wooded terrain close to familiar neighborhoods can conceal someone for months.

When a Guilford County resident goes missing, the starting point is a report to the Greensboro Police Department's non-emergency line at 336-373-2287 or to the Guilford County Sheriff's Office. For a person 65 or older believed to have Alzheimer's, dementia, or another cognitive impairment, law enforcement can immediately request a Silver Alert through the NC Center for Missing Persons, which broadcasts the person's description and photo statewide. Anonymous tips on any active case can be submitted to Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000, where callers are not required to give their name and may be eligible for a cash reward.