Missing Cary Rideshare Driver Found Dead in I-40 Crash

Linwood Phillips, the 48-year-old Cary rideshare driver who vanished April 2, was found dead Monday afternoon inside his overturned vehicle off Interstate 40 in Raleigh, ending a four-day search that had drawn widespread attention across local social media and missing persons networks.

Raleigh police responded just before 4:30 p.m. Monday after a report of a vehicle off the roadway near the Exit 289 interchange at Wade Avenue. Officers found Phillips's car down an embankment, deep into the woods, on the ramp from I-40 westbound to inbound Wade Avenue. Phillips, known to family and friends as "Wood," was still in his seat belt inside the overturned vehicle when officers arrived and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Preliminary investigation indicates his vehicle was traveling a minimum of 70 mph when it left the roadway, went airborne, and came to rest upside down. The crash caused severe intrusion into the driver's cabin, and investigators believe Phillips died on impact. No other vehicles appear to have been involved.

Phillips was last seen Thursday, April 2. Family members contacted authorities after they were unable to locate him, and the Aware Foundation, a missing persons advocacy group, distributed a public alert about his disappearance. The case spread widely across social media, including Raleigh Downtown community groups, as friends and strangers shared his photo in the days before his car was found.

Raleigh Police are leading the crash investigation with assistance from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, while the Cary Police Department is handling the missing persons aspect of the case. The Wake County Medical Examiner's Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the official cause of death, with results expected within several days.

The Exit 289 interchange has seen deadly crashes before. In October 2023, Conor Newell was killed in a fiery single-vehicle wreck on the Wade Avenue ramp off I-40 East, closing that ramp for hours. A separate hit-and-run involving a fully engulfed vehicle has also been documented near the same corridor.

Anyone with information about Monday's crash or who may have seen Phillips's vehicle before the accident is asked to contact Raleigh police.