Wendell man missing since Thursday found dead in overturned car

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Family members of Gregory Joseph Thomas received the tragic news their loved one was found dead over the weekend after several days of searching.

His family had last heard from him Thursday morning on his way to work in Raleigh, but said he never arrived at work.

Sunday afternoon, investigators found his car down a steep embankment near the offramp from I-440 onto New Bern Avenue. The car was overturned and underwater. Investigators found Thomas dead inside the car.

Security camera footage showed Thomas' car sliding off the highway during heavy rain and plummeting into the woods.

Thomas was a son, a brother, a fiancé and a father of three: a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old and a 4-month-old. His fiancée Julia Pearce said she texted him shortly after he left for work, but never heard back. She said the 30-year-old father was a hard worker and loved his family.

"Knowing that he was out there so close to me and I just can't imagine life without him, it hurts to think about," Pearce said in a phone interview.

At this time, the family has not made plans for a memorial service.