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Search Expands For Teen Missing In Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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By NPT Staff - August 19th, 2017

Seven search teams set out Saturday to find Austin Bohanan, missing since last week in Great Smoky Mountains National Park/NPS

Seven search teams today headed into rugged terrain of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in a coordinated effort to find a teenager who hasn't been seen since last week.

Austin Bohanan, 18, failed to return from a hike in the Abrams Creek-Parsons Branch area, reportedly hiking off-trail in the remote section of the southwestern corner park, last Friday. The boy, from Blount County, Tennessee, was reported missing Sunday.

Teams are continuing to cover new areas within the 6,700-acre search area near Chilhowee Lake. Over the past several days, ground crews covered high-priority areas including drainages and ridges within the search area. Each day, crews slowly traverse more of the vast area comprised of steep slopes and dense vegetation. One of the teams crossed deeper into the backcountry area Friday and camped off-trail to continue their search today.

Park rangers coordinated seven teams of searchers on Saturday in efforts to locate missing teen. The teams are comprised of 40 trained individuals from the National Park Service, Backcountry Unit Search and Rescue, Blount Special Operations Response Team, Blount County Rescue Squad, and Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont.

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 a blue Nike baseball cap. Anyone who has seen Bohanan since August 11 is asked to call the park at 865-436-1230.

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