You are here

Home » Dog Teams Called In To Search For Missing Teen At Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Dog Teams Called In To Search For Missing Teen At Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Share
By NPT Staff - August 16th, 2017

A search continued Wednesday for a missing 18-year-old Tennessee hiker who failed to return home this past weekend/NPS HO

Dog teams were called in Wednesday to help with the search for a teenager who went missing in Great Smoky Mountains National Park while hiking off trail in the rugged southwestern corner of the park.

Eighteen-year-old Austin Bohanan, from Blount County, Tennessee, failed to return from a hike in the Abrams Creek-Parsons Branch area Friday. He was reported missing Sunday evening.

Late Tuesday afternoon Tennessee Highway Patrol utilized a Bell Jet Ranger Helicopter to conduct visual search of the area with no significant findings. 

On Wednesday morning, five search teams consisting of rangers from the park’s search and rescue team, officers with Tennessee Wildlife Resource Authority, and individuals with the Backcountry Unit Search and Rescue team were searching the area. Park officials also requested the assistance of two canine search teams through Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.    

As of Wednesday morning, search operations remained limited to a select number of trained searchers to enable a systematic, thorough search of the area. Dog teams and trackers can be hampered by additional people in the area when searchers are looking for signs of hiker travel, a park release said.

Bohanan was described as a white male between 5’2”-5’5” feet tall, weighing between 120-150 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a T-shirt or unknown color, and blue Nike baseball cap. Anyone who has seen Bohanan since Friday evening is asked to call the park at 865-436-1230.

Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.