DANBURY, NC — The Stokes County Health Department Thursday could not confirm a case of Rockey Mountain Spotted Fever in Walnut Cove.

Emily Tilley, owner of Emily’s Closet on Main Street, says her physician diagnosed her with the disease in April and that an infectious disease specialist in Winston-Salem confirmed the diagnosis with a positive test.

According to Stokes County Health Director Scott Lenhart, the County needs to test Tilley to confirm the case. Now that her doctor has already put her on antibiotics, the case can’t be confirmed.

“That’s what happens. They don’t get tested [here]. So we really don’t know. Right now in Stokes County we have no confirmed cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever,” Lenhart said.

RALEIGH, N.C. — A Silver Alert has been issued for a missing Stokes County man.

The N.C. Center for Missing Persons issued the alert shortly after midnight for 71-year-old Howard Lee Anders, who is believed to be suffering from dementia or some other cognitive impairment.

Anders was last seen at 1025 Goolsby Road in Walnut Cove.

Deputies say he may have been headed toward 1411 Kernersville Road in Kernersville in a red 1989 Chevrolet S10 pickup truck with N.C. plates.

Anders is described as standing about 6’3″ tall and weighing about 250 pounds.

Anyone with information about Anders whereabouts is asked to call Deputy Faus at the Stokes County Sheriff’s Department at (336) 593-8130.

STOKES COUNTY, N.C. – County officials decided Tuesday to euthanize all dogs, nearly thirty, at the county animal shelter and all incoming dogs that do not have vaccination records due to a parvo outbreak.

“If you bring it here and it has no vaccination it will be euthanized,” said Veterinarian Deborah Cowan and chairwoman of the Stokes County Animal Shelter Advisory Board.

Adoptions of dogs are temporarily limited to just those with vaccination records, which staff says are rarely shared by owners surrendering pets.

Cowan says parvo, a highly contagious and deadly virus to dogs is something the out-of-date shelter has battled with for many years due to the structure being inadequate.

“Because of the way this shelter is set up we cannot clean properly. You can’t get it out of the environment and no matter how hard they try it’s just not happening,” Cowan said.