After nearly two weeks of intensive efforts, authorities have suspended formal search operations for 67-year-old attorney and law professor Charles Hosch, who vanished while hiking Blood Mountain earlier this month.
Hosch was last seen on Nov. 11 while descending the Byron Herbert Reece Trail along the Appalachian Trail. He reached the summit and even spoke with a ham radio operator before beginning his return. Witnesses reported seeing him on the trail, but search teams have uncovered no trace of him since.
The search drew nearly 100 responders, including K-9 units, helicopters, drones and specialized crews who spent long days navigating steep, hazardous terrain. Last week, dogs briefly picked up his scent, allowing crews to narrow the search area, but no additional clues surfaced.
It was announced Monday that the organized, daily field operations are paused until new evidence points to a specific direction. The Emergency Operations Center has scaled back to a monitoring status after coordinating the massive effort for roughly 18 hours a day since Hosch was reported missing.
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Hosch’s law firm, Hosch & Morris, said their own search will continue independently and shared gratitude for rescuers’ “heroism” and “tireless dedication.” The family is drawing strength from one of Hosch’s favorite verses — John 1:5 — and vowed that they “will not stop” searching.
Hosch, originally from Gainesville, is an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and a lifelong hiker familiar with Blood Mountain’s trails.
