The Ontario County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the human remains discovered this week in Victor are those of a man who went missing last summer.
On Tuesday night, a person fishing in Mud Creek near McMahon Road discovered human remains and clothing. The remains were sent to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office, where dental X-rays were used to identify them as belonging to Reggie Vardon. The 83-year-old Reggie Vardon was last seen leaving the ESL Credit Union on School Street in Victor on July 15th.
Ontario County Sheriff David Cirencione provided new details Friday. He said investigators believe a severe storm may have been a key factor in his disappearance.
On the afternoon Vardon went missing, the northern Finger Lakes region, including western Ontario County, was hit by a powerful weather event. The storm produced two confirmed tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, flash flooding, tennis ball-sized hail, and widespread damage from downed trees and power lines. Emergency services responded to over 100 fire calls on the evening of July 15.
“From the start of our investigation, we believed the storm could have played a role in Mr. Vardon’s disappearance,” said Sheriff Cirencione.
Search efforts began immediately. Deputies and firefighters combed the railroad bed on foot, with K9 units — including a bloodhound — deployed from Vardon’s residence. Later, cadaver dogs were brought in, but did not detect any signs. In the fall, once the leaves had dropped, the New York State Police Aviation Unit conducted aerial searches by helicopter, and the Sheriff’s Office deployed drones in the Victor area on three separate occasions, all without success.
The sheriff described the location where Vardon’s remains were eventually found as extremely remote, with dense trees, tall grass, and multiple fallen and standing trees obscuring the area. Vardon’s body was discovered beneath a downed tree near Mud Creek, making it nearly impossible to see from the ground or air until someone was directly on top of it.
While the official cause of death is still pending, Cirencione noted that Vardon was found within a mile of his home, and that Mud Creek runs close to his apartment. “We can’t say with certainty what sequence of events led to his death,” he said, “but the location and position of his remains are consistent with the possibility that he was swept away by the storm on July 15.”
“While this is not the outcome we had hoped for, we are relieved that Mr. Vardon’s family now has closure and will soon be reunited with his remains,” Cirencione added. “All of us at the Sheriff’s Office extend our most heartfelt condolences to Mr. Vardon’s family. We know how difficult the past 10 months have been for them and how hard it is now to process this sad news.”
Cirencione commended Investigator LaBrake for never giving up. “He continued to search, follow leads, and connect with law enforcement across the country in an effort to find answers. We never gave up hope.”
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