OXFORD — A 24-year-old Oxford man who went missing Saturday night was found in Abington, Mass., on Tuesday evening, reported Oxford police Lieutenant Michael Ward.

Gene Stanley Burns, Jr., 24, was last seen by a witness walking toward Mechanic Falls after crashing his car on Robinson Hill Road in Oxford just a half-mile from his house, Ward said.

At about 9 p.m. Tuesday, Burns called the police station to reveal where he was after receiving a text message from Ward saying “call us.”

On Wednesday morning, Ward said Burns told him he was unsure how he got to Abington, a town about 20 miles southeast of Boston and adjacent to Brockton.

“I haven’t had the chance to speak to him, so I haven’t heard that firsthand,” Ward said. He said he’d hoped to speak to him Wednesday but as of 4 p.m. hadn’t heard back from him.

Ward said Burns’ mother had driven down to Massachusetts Tuesday night to find her son and bring him home.

On Tuesday, police spent at least six hours conducting an “extensive search” on Robinson Hill Road and its surrounding areas in hopes to turn up evidence of Burns’ whereabouts, Ward said.

He said the Maine Warden Service assisted Oxford police with search dogs Tuesday. The search crew was made up of eight wardens, three state troopers, three Oxford PD officers, a search plane and a K-9 unit. Ward said the search was very expensive and time-consuming.

“We were trying to trace his tracks back as far as we could, just in case he did get hurt and was lying in the woods,” Ward said.

Ward said he is unsure if there will be any charges as the case is still under investigation. Ward said that “leaving the scene of an accident is not a good thing,” but said he’d need to collect more information before determining if charges would be filed.

According to Ward, Burns was driving toward Mechanic Falls on Saturday night when his vehicle, a black 2004 Saturn Ion, left the road, went through a snowbank and crashed into some trees, damaging the front end. Ward said Wednesday that the vehicle was “totaled.”

“He definitely knew it was a reportable accident,” Ward said.

Ward said that when Sgt. Rickie Jack arrived at the crash scene on Saturday, he found the car abandoned.

“The vehicle was locked up,” Ward explained.

Ward said police received the call around 7:30 p.m. Saturday. “We figured that he would go home and then just call us,” Ward told the Advertiser-Democrat earlier this week.

“We tried to call him. He didn’t go home,” Ward explained. According to Ward, Burns had not shown up to work since, and his bank account showed that he had not made any financial transactions since the accident.

Ward credited media reports in helping the Oxford Police Department receive tips on Burns’ recent whereabouts.

treaves@sunjournal.com