The tragic discovery of a missing teenager from North Carolina has led to a murder investigation following the release of preliminary autopsy results. Joseph Rose, who was reported missing by the Asheville Police Department on December 2, was found dead last week, sparking a search for answers.

According to the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, the young man’s body was discovered in Candler on December 12, ten days after his disappearance was reported. Although investigators have not disclosed the cause of death or the circumstances that led them to Joseph’s body, it has been revealed by his family that the teenager was found in a ditch.

Joseph’s sister, Emily Ivory Rose, expressed the family’s anguish and confusion in a statement to WLOS, saying, “And we’re not sure how or why. Also, the way that they found him. We’re just not sure how he ended up there and why he had no contact with us.”

The last known communication with Joseph occurred on November 24, leaving his loved ones desperate for information and justice. As the investigation unfolds, the community and family await further details surrounding this heartbreaking case.

Emily Rose said that family had last heard from him on November 24.

“He’s just a baby, you know, and he’s just so special. And I just always worried about him,” she said.