Father of three still missing six weeks after disappearing from North Carolina home
A family in Sanford, North Carolina is desperate to know what happened to 32-year-old father of three Cory Dale Moore six weeks after he vanished without a trace.
“We’re left with a lot of question marks at this point,” said Cory’s aunt, Sherri Galvin, who spoke to Dateline on behalf of the family. “It’s just very frustrating and we’re extremely worried about him. We’re all just barely hanging on.”
According to a press release issued by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Cory was last seen around 2 p.m. on September 3, 2020, at his grandmother’s house on Pickard Road in Sanford. He left on foot without his shoes and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
Sherri told Dateline that her nephew was going through a rough time the past two years so in June 2020, he moved in with his sister in Mooresville, North Carolina and began working at a local natural gas company.
“His sister got married at the end of August and the whole family was there,” Sherri said. “I just remember Cory was once again his kind, fun-loving self. He was happy… he was in good spirits.”
When his sister left for her honeymoon, she gave him a ride to visit his mother and grandmother who live together on Pickard Road in Sanford.
It was the middle of the afternoon on September 3 when Cory’s family last saw him. Cory said he was going to take a shower, but when his mother checked on him a short time later, he was gone.
Sherri told Dateline that Cory’s shoes were still at the house. But his wallet and cell phone were missing. He didn’t have a car, so Sherri said it appeared he left on foot.
“It just doesn’t make any sense,” she said. “He’s never just walked off. And he’s always stayed in contact with his kids, his sister, his mom, me -- someone.”
Sherri explained that Cory has three children, 4-year-old twin boys and a 3-year-old daughter.
“He loves those kids,” Sherri said. “He wanted so badly to be a good dad.”
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office launched a search in the surrounding area with crews, cadaver dogs and drones. But there was no trace of Cory.
Sherri told Dateline there has been no activity on Cory’s bank account or social media pages since he disappeared. She said their family is worried that Cory got into trouble with some people he had been messaging prior to his disappearance.
“He had struggled lately and sometimes ended up in bad situations,” Sherri said. “But he didn’t deserve this. He was turning his life around and deserved a second chance.”
Sherri describes her nephew as a “sweet boy” who helped her through a divorce by taking her hiking and even accompanying her to a company Christmas party so she wouldn’t have to go alone.
That’s just the kind of guy he is,” Sherri added. “He’s someone’s daddy. Someone’s son. He is someone’s brother. Someone’s nephew,” Sherri said. “And he’s still missing. We just want to know where he is.”
Cory is 6’0” tall, weighs approximately 210 pounds and has brown hair and a light brown beard. He has a patch of white hair on the back of his head on the left side. His tattoos include his last name “Moore” on his left forearm, mallard duck heads on both biceps and blue stars behind his ears. He was wearing a white tank top, gray shorts and was barefoot.
Anyone who might have information about Cory’s whereabouts is asked to call the Lee County Sheriff’s Office at 919-775-5531 or the anonymous tip line at 919-718-4577.
