Mike Hearon has been missing since Aug. 23, 2008, when he left his property in the Happy Valley area of Tallassee, Tennessee. The Blount County Sheriff's Office continues to seek information in the case and lists 865-273-5001 as the number for tips, according to its Facebook post. Hearon's son Matt has said he missed his father's last call that morning and is still waiting for an explanation, the sheriff's office said.
What investigators found
The Charley Project's case summary says Hearon's truck was found at the end of Bell Branch Road with its windows down, the trailer still attached and the lawnmower still loaded. The summary also says his phone, keys, wallet, cash, credit cards, driver's license and handgun were inside. Relatives examined the truck on Aug. 25, two days after Hearon was last seen. According to the same account, his green Yamaha Wolverine ATV was found the following day about a mile from his home, undamaged and positioned in high gear with the ignition on and the kill switch off. It was in an area he did not usually visit.
The available accounts do not establish why Hearon left the ATV or what happened afterward. His 100-acre property borders Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the terrain includes dense vegetation, steep ground and ravines, according to The Charley Project. Hearon was 51 and had worked for the National Park Service clearing trails before operating Michael Hearon Builders, according to StrangeOutdoors.
The search
The challenges of backcountry searches
Searches in the Great Smoky Mountains can involve difficult terrain and specialized rescue work. According to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, rangers reported 18 backcountry search-and-rescue incidents in March, including two Tennessee Army National Guard hoist extractions and four technical rope rescues. Those figures illustrate the range of operations such searches can require, but they do not establish what happened to Hearon or identify the hazards involved in his case.
The search began after relatives reported Hearon missing. Officers reached the property on the evening of Aug. 25, 2008, during heavy rain, which hindered the initial response, WBIR reported. A later multi-agency effort included more than 100 searchers and covered about 400 acres and 50 miles of trails. The Blount County Sheriff's Office, National Park Service, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and local fire departments took part; bloodhounds and divers were also used, according to Southern Strange.
No account supplied for this article reports that Hearon has been found, and his disappearance remains unsolved. The available record supports the existence of the abandoned truck and ATV, the weather-affected search and the continuing request for information; it does not resolve whether Hearon suffered an accident, encountered foul play or left the area for another reason.
