Woman Missing Near Clingmans Dome

[TNhiker]

Has there been some report of health issues with the mom? This post seems to imply as much, but that's nothing I've read to this point.

that response came after I made a statement saying Muddy was speculating things without knowing the lady's history...

i do not know if she has health issues...

but, I know that she was tired and didn't want to go to the Dome but rather back to the parking lot...

i do not know what, besides hiking, made her tired....

[MuddyWaters]

But if a smaller force can find the scavenged body of a poacher 1/2 mile off the trail, you would think this many people would find signs of someone in this area.

Yep
So it would seem they is looking where she isnt.
Question is why isnt she in expected area thays been searched so far.

[George]

Maybe so, but a caring daughter wouldnt leave a mom with mental or health issues would she?

.

that is a pretty high horse attitude for anyone who has done significant hiking

when I hiked with my kids they routinely were ahead or behind beyond sight - does that mean I did not care about my kids - get real

[George]

Question is why isnt she in expected area thays been searched so far.

that is why logic says she was removed by vehicle from the area/ park

but of course park officials will continue to look in the park - that is their area of responsibility

[MuddyWaters]

that is a pretty high horse attitude for anyone who has done significant hiking

when I hiked with my kids they routinely were ahead or behind beyond sight - does that mean I did not care about my kids - get real

Ive never been out of earshot of my son in hundreds of miles with him when it was only two of us. Not once.
And basically not out of sight, unless someone was pooping

I hiked a few days with a father-daughter on part of cdt. They were never separated unless one was bathroom break , even though 25 yr old daughter could leave 65 yr yr old dad, and me, in dust. Not once.



I also doubt i would have left one of my parents by themself if struggling, slow, etc.

Hiking partners ,sure. All the time.

Family....nope.
Maybe wife.....

But people are different, apparently.

[tdoczi]

And while "leaving by vehicle" does seem like the easiest way to "disappear without a trace"... this isn't a magic act. The parking lot is a pretty popular place, and violence in the park is low. Seems unlikely someone would be leaving by vehicle against their will,

agreed.

and no one would leave willingly with their child still in the woods.

i dont know about that. most reasonable people wouldnt, but that isn't "no one." i wouldn't entirely rule it out, though i'd say its a low probability.

[Mister Doublefister]

I hope the best for this lady and her family!

[johnacraft]

yeah... this is basically what im hearing from our guy down there today...

Thanks. How unfortunate.

[Five Tango]

One possibility no one has mentioned is that mom and daughter may have staged mom's disappearance.I wonder if mom may have been in an abusive relationship and wanted to disappear.If not,I would think she was abducted.Hard to believe she is in a narrowly defined section of the park unfound after a week.

[tdoczi]

One possibility no one has mentioned is that mom and daughter may have staged mom's disappearance.I wonder if mom may have been in an abusive relationship and wanted to disappear.If not,I would think she was abducted.Hard to believe she is in a narrowly defined section of the park unfound after a week.

i keep coming back to it seeming sort of odd (though not entirely off the wall odd) that a mom with a high school aged daughter from ohio are hiking in north carolina/tennessee mid week during the school year. is anyone else with them? why are they in that area at that time? do they have family in the area or something.

if theres siblings and a father back in ohio and the girl is truant from school then there is definitely something bizarre going on here.

[trailmercury]

i keep coming back to it seeming sort of odd (though not entirely off the wall odd) that a mom with a high school aged daughter from ohio are hiking in north carolina/tennessee mid week during the school year. is anyone else with them? why are they in that area at that time? do they have family in the area or something.

if theres siblings and a father back in ohio and the girl is truant from school then there is definitely something bizarre going on here.

Daughter is 20 y/o

[George]

One possibility no one has mentioned is that mom and daughter may have staged mom's disappearance.I wonder if mom may have been in an abusive relationship and wanted to disappear.If not,I would think she was abducted.Hard to believe she is in a narrowly defined section of the park unfound after a week.

another over active imagination stimulated by too much over dramatized TV

[tdoczi]

Daughter is 20 y/o

ahh my bad, thought i had read she was younger somewhere.

that makes it less odd but if i were the police i'd still be looking into the family background, and i'm sure they are.

[MuddyWaters]

One possibility no one has mentioned is that mom and daughter may have staged mom's disappearance.I wonder if mom may have been in an abusive relationship and wanted to disappear.If not,I would think she was abducted.Hard to believe she is in a narrowly defined section of the park unfound after a week.

National parks have been the scene of all kinds of dissapearances. Particularly yosemite. From lost, to murder, suicide, to running away, to attempted insurance fraud. They are very popular places for these things. Its why have to keep an open mind regardless how the story looks.

Im sure authorities run down all possibilities in time. Primary concern upfront is find a living person if possible.

[TNhiker]

One possibility no one has mentioned is that mom and daughter may have staged mom's disappearance.I wonder if mom may have been in an abusive relationship and wanted to disappear.If not,I would think she was abducted.Hard to believe she is in a narrowly defined section of the park unfound after a week.

fwiw-----im hearing that the ex husband was up at the Gap handing out flyers the other day....

(and yes, she still could have been in an abusive relationship.....who knows...)

[Hoofit]

Sounds like a job for the dogs....could very well still be alive out there.....

[TNhiker]

Sounds like a job for the dogs

according to the pictures posted on the Park's FB------dogs are helping in the search........

[rmitchell]

Problem is all the rain. Looking at highonleconte web site they registered over three inches of rain since she went missing at Leconte Lodge.

[Lugnut]

It’s getting pretty late to expect a happy ending. :-(

[HooKooDooKu]

One possibility no one has mentioned is that mom and daughter may have staged mom's disappearance.

The problem with that theory is that in trying to implement it in such a public park in such a popular place... you run the risk of witnesses that could contradict your story.

For example, the two of them MUST hike down to the bald together or they run the risk of every hiker that was on that trail that day would report they didn't see anyone matching their description.
And now you have to find a way, while two miles in the woods, to split up and the mom not be seen by any other hikers.

So if you really wanted to stage a disappearance like this, you would be much better off finding a more secluded section of the park to try to implement your plan.