Park visitor discovers injured man missing for days in Smoky Mountains, officials say

The search for a missing hiker in Great Smoky Mountains National Park ended when a park visitor found him injured and suffering from exposure, according to the National Park Service.

Jacob Riggs was discovered around 8 a.m. on Wednesday, April 10, “in the vicinity of Tremont by a park visitor who recognized that he was in need of care,” officials said.

“The visitor brought Riggs to the Incident Command Post near the Townsend Wye,” officials said. “Riggs had minor injuries and exposure to weather. He was evaluated onsite and taken to a local hospital.”

Details of how Riggs was injured were not released and officials did not identify the person who found him.

However, Riggs wrote in an April 14 Facebook post that he spent several days in the Intensive Care Unit at Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville, just west of the national park.

“I did lose a very substantial amount of blood during my ordeal and had to spend a few days in the ICU and receive a few blood transfusions,” he posted.

“I have been released from the hospital, but still obviously very weak. I’m recovering well, but it will take some time to get back up to 100 percent. I cannot fully express how forever grateful i am for the overwhelming outpouring of love and support I have received from so many people. I am truly humbled.”

In an interview with WVLT, Riggs said the trouble began when he became dehydrated and tried to treat himself.

“I tried to give myself some fluids with some saline and Lactated Ringers in an IV, and I passed out in the process,” Riggs told the station. “Went unconscious with the IV still open and bled out for a substantial amount of time.”

Riggs, 35, had last been seen April 7, in Maynardville, Tennessee, about a 75-mile drive north of the park.

His car was found April 8 on the Tennessee side of the park, which straddles the North Carolina state line.

Searchers from “several organizations” were focused on the Townsend Wye, Tremont and Cades Cove areas in the northwestern part of the park.

Riggs lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, about a 50-mile drive north of Cades Cove, and completed hiking a stretch of the Appalachian Trail through the park in March, his Facebook page reports.

He trained for emergency situations with the Roane State Community College Emergency Medical Services program.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park covers 522,427 acres and has 848 miles of trail, including a 74-mile section of the Appalachian Trail. The park is home to a large population of black bears.

This story was originally published April 10, 2024 at 8:27 AM with the headline "Park visitor discovers injured man missing for days in Smoky Mountains, officials say."