Search for Missing Hiker Continues One Year Later

Knox County Rescue volunteers keep searching rocky terrain near Blood Mountain as the family urges the public to share trail photos and footage.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Hiking

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a steep grey rocky ridgeline under a cream autumn sky, evoking an ongoing search in remote mountain terrain. — Knox County Rescue volunteers continue searching rocky terrain near Blood Mountain on the Georgia Appalachian Trail one year after a hiker went missing, as his family urges the public to share photos and footage. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Knox County Rescue continues searching for a missing hiker one year after he was last seen on Blood Mountain along the Appalachian Trail. Union County suspended its search in late November 2025, but the hiker's family has asked teams to keep looking.

Why it matters

The family says they are not giving up, and volunteers are concentrating on rocky ground and boulder areas where the hiker may have fallen or crawled. Public tips such as photos or trail camera footage from around November 11 could help narrow the search.

The hiker was last seen November 11, 2025, at the Byron Herbert Reece Trailhead, roughly one year before this update. Union County suspended its search in late November 2025, leaving volunteers to continue looking for clues, and it is not yet known whether any new evidence will emerge.

The players

Knox County Rescue

Knox County Rescue is a volunteer search and rescue organization that has continued searching for the missing hiker after the official search was suspended.

Union County Emergency Operations Center

The Union County Emergency Operations Center coordinates emergency response in Union County, Georgia, and is accepting tips about the missing hiker.

The details

Volunteers with Knox County Rescue are searching rocky terrain where the hiker may have fallen, including areas where he could have crawled under boulders or into caves. The family is asking anyone with photos, videos, or trail camera footage from around November 11 to share them, and tips can be made to the Union County Emergency Operations Center at 706-439-6091.

November 11, 2025: The hiker was last seen at the Byron Herbert Reece Trailhead.
Late November 2025: Union County suspended the search.
November 11, 2026: One-year anniversary, with Knox County Rescue still searching.

Season Trajectory

Long-running volunteer searches on Blood Mountain's rocky Appalachian Trail terrain typically continue after official efforts are suspended, as families and groups like Knox County Rescue keep the case active. This one-year update fits that pattern of persistence in a region where trail disappearances can remain unresolved for extended periods.

Hikers on Blood Mountain and the Appalachian Trail should tell someone their route and return time before heading out. Anyone with photos, videos, or trail camera footage from around November 11 can share them with the Union County Emergency Operations Center at 706-439-6091.

The takeaway

Trail communities often keep searching long after official efforts end, and even small details like a photo or video can matter. Sharing what you remember from November 11 could help the family.