Search efforts are intensifying in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for 35-year-old Jacob Riggs, last seen in Maynardville on April 7, WATE reported. Riggs' vehicle was discovered by park rangers in the park a day later, prompting a focused search in areas including Townsend Wye, Tremont, and Cades Cove
Described as a white male with black hair, a dark beard, and brown eyes, Riggs stands at 6'2'' and weighs approximately 185 pounds, WBIR reported. His car was found near Townsend which is a gateway to the popular national park, Katie Liming, a spokesperson for the park, said in an email to the Citizen Times, and Townsend, situated roughly 60 miles from Maynardville, hosts a visitor center for those embarking into the natural expanse.
The National Park Service has enlisted multiple organizations in the ongoing search for Riggs and expects additional resources to arrive by April 10, as Citizen Times disclosed. Anyone with information on Riggs' whereabouts is urged to contact the park service's tip line or email, with the option of reporting emergencies via 911.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a vast area straddling parts of North Carolina and Tennessee, attracted approximately 13.3 million visitors in 2023 and is known as the nation's most-visited national park, the overwhelming visitation coincides with the park's half-million acres of forested mountain terrain which prove both alluring and daunting for hikers and adventurers alike, and it is reported that the Smokies experiences an average of 100 search and rescue missions annually, serving as a stark reminder of the wilderness's unpredictable nature.
