AUGUSTA COUNTY, VA (Rocktown Now) — The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation Salem Field Office and the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office have arrested Nicholas F. Huczko, 41, of Waynesboro, Va. in the Town of Clifton Forge. Huczko is charged by the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office with abduction by force and malicious wounding. Charges from Virginia State Police are currently pending.

Augusta County Sheriff Donald Smith says on November 4, 2026, at approximately 1:11 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a possible abduction in the area of Swisher Truck Lane and Lee Jackson Highway in the Staunton area of Augusta County.

Smith says the Augusta County Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call from a witness reporting that an assault had occurred and that an individual had been forcibly placed into a vehicle before the vehicle fled the scene. Deputies with the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene at approximately 1:20 p.m. and quickly determined that a violent assault and abduction had occurred.

Through investigative efforts, authorities developed information that led them to the Clifton Forge area of Alleghany County. The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office, Clifton Forge Police Department, and Virginia State Police immediately coordinated a joint investigation, according to Sheriff Smith.

The Sheriff’s Office said during the course of the investigation, the victim, Dylan Cowgill, 21, of Waynesboro, Virginia, was located at a residence in Clifton Forge suffering from life-threatening injuries. Cowgill later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

This remains an active and ongoing criminal investigation. Due to the sensitive nature of the case, no additional information will be released at this time.