UPDATE published on Nov. 25, 2025 @ 2:16 p.m.
Union County Sheriff Shawn Dyer issued a statement on the formal search efforts for Charles Hosch being suspended.
Dyer told AccessWDUN that the last full operational search for Hosch was Monday.
“We’ve completed 12 full operational periods utilizing local, state, and federal resources from all over the state and neighboring states,” Dyer said. “The majority of the search areas have been search with resources including aircraft, drones, dogs, and ground searchers. We’re extremely thankful for all the assistance that we received in the search.”
Dyer added that the family’s thanks for search and rescue teams proves how hard they searched.
“It solidifies that we’ve searched really hard. Our emergency management team has put in countless hours since this started,” Dyer said. “We’ve had up to about 300 people searching on the ground and the miles that’s been walked on that mountain, they’re totaling that up as we speak, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s going to be between 2,000 and 3,000 miles that’s actually been walked on that mountain.”
Dyer added the case remains open and active.
“We’re just scaling back some of the things that we’ve been doing that hasn’t been working,” Dyer said. “It’s not that we’re closing it out, it’s just that we’re moving in a different direction.”
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Original story published on Nov. 24, 2025 @ 8:36 p.m.
The family of the missing Gainesville native and law professor Charles Hosch provided an update on search efforts Monday afternoon.
In a posting on Hosch & Morris Attorneys and Counselors’ website, the family said Union County’s formal search operations have been suspended pending any new clues or information.
They added that Monday’s search yielded no new clues after nearly two weeks of effort.
Hosch originally went missing on Nov. 11. His daughter, Julia Hosch, spoke on WDUN’s “The Martha Zoller Show” on Nov. 18, saying it’s still unclear what happened to him on the trail.
“He was an Eagle Scout here…This is a day hike that dad has done many times before,” Julia Hosch said. “For whatever reason, this one went differently. The challenge is, he was not really prepared or dressed for a multi-day excursion in the woods, and so we’re sort of racing against hours here to give him the best chance possible.”
The family thanked search and rescue teams in the latest update.
“We are forever indebted to the search and rescue teams who navigated treacherous terrain in challenging conditions with heroism, skill, and tireless dedication. Their commitment to finding Charles has been nothing short of remarkable, and we will be always grateful for their courage and compassion,” the family wrote.
They said their own search efforts will continue. They are planning the next phase and will share details when they are available.
“In this moment of uncertainty, we turn to Charles’s favorite verse, John 1:5: ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’ Charles has been that light to so many—his family, his students, his colleagues, his friends, his community. His wisdom, kindness, selflessness, and unwavering integrity have illuminated countless lives, and his light burns in every heart that loves him,” the family’s post said. “We carry that light with us as we search. We will not stop. We will bring him home.”
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