From North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation

Investigators from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the Martin County Sheriff’s Office are seeking the assistance of the public with a death investigation.

On Aug. 10, Zachary Clyde Powell, 43, was found deceased in the roadway on U.S. Highway 64 East near mile marker 502 in Robersonville. Powell appeared to have been struck by a vehicle that fled the scene.

Powell was last seen alive Aug. 9 at approximately 11 p.m., walking south on Wake Forest Road in the area of a Denny’s Restaurant, near the intersection of Wake Forest Road and Interstate 440 in Raleigh. Investigators believe that Powell may have hitchhiked on I-440 and U.S. 64 to reach Robersonville. Powell was a white male, approximately 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, with a long, brown ponytail and a long, grey goatee. He had a full-sleeve tattoo on his right arm and tattoos on his right lower leg. He was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt with “I’m Awesome” written across the chest, blue-jean shorts and no shoes.

If you have any information regarding Powell’s travels or whereabouts after 11 p.m. on Aug. 9, please contact the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Troop A, at 252-758-5300 or the Martin County Sheriff’s Office at 252-789-4555.