5 missing persons cases remain unsolved in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Thousands of people are reported lost or missing in national parks every year and there are a few missing persons cases of people who disappeared in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that remain unsolved years later.

National Park Service spokesperson Cynthia Hernandez spoke with 6 News on Thursday to explain more about missing or lost persons cases in national parks. She explained that through July 22 of this year, more than 2,200 people had been at the center of search and rescue incidents in national parks in 2024.

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That number, which includes data from the more than 400 national parks nationwide, she said includes cases where a child is temporarily separated from their parents and is reunited with them at a visitor center as well as more complex, multi-day searches. She explained that the vast majority of the people who are considered lost in national parks are quickly reunited with their families by rangers.

The National Park Service has a list of the 25 “cold cases” on its website, and only four are missing persons cases from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. While four of 25 may feel like a high percentage, the park with the most missing persons cases on the list is Yosemite National Park, which has 10 entries on the list. Hernandez said that as long a case is open, there is still an operation in progress to find them even though it may look different than a search for someone who might go missing today.

Learn more about the cases involving people who disappeared inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park below.

Dennis Lloyd Martin

Martin’s case is one of the oldest missing persons cases in East Tennessee. On June 14, 1969, the six-year-old Martin disappeared while playing hide-and-seek in Spence Field near the Appalachian Trail. According to his profile on the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, Martin disappeared behind a bush and was never seen again.

When he went missing, Martin was wearing a red T-shirt, green shorts, white socks, and oxford shoes. He had dark brown, wavy hair and brown eyes. NamUs also attached an age progression to his profile from 2014 showing what he might have looked like at age 51.

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If he was found today, Martin would be 62 years old.

Teresa “Trenny” Gibson

While on a trip with her high school on October 8, 1976, 16-year-old Gibson disappeared. NPS reports state that she was last seen hiking with her group back from Andrew’s Bald Trail to parking area of Kuwohi, formerly known as Clingmans Dome.

The records explain that Gibson was last seen by a few others in the group around 2:50 p.m. as they were about half-a-mile away from the parking area. One person in the group told crews that they thought she “may have tried to go cross-country to [the] Dome parking area.”

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Searches for Gibson initially continued through October 18, 1976 and continued again the following spring. In the years since, the records state that multiple law enforcement agencies have contacted the National Park Service since 1991 in regards to unidentified remains cases that could potentially match Gibson’s description.

When she disappeared, Gibson was about 5’3″ tall, and weighed around 115 pounds with light brown hair. She was wearing a brown plaid jacket, a blue-and-white striped sweater, blue jeans, and blue Adidas shoes. She would be 64 years old if found alive today.

Thelma Pauline “Polly” Melton

A Florida woman disappeared in Deep Creek area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park more than 40 years ago.

She was hiking with two friends on September 25, 1981, when she reportedly walked over a hill and out of view around 4 p.m. A few hours later, her friends reported her missing to a park ranger.

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According to the Charley Project, which works to create profiles for missing persons whose cases have gone cold, Melton was familiar with the trail and there was no indication that anyone had ventured off the trail’s path.

At the time of her disappearance, Melton was 58 years old. She was around 5’11” tall, 180 pounds with brown eyes and red hair. If she was found alive today, she would be 101 years old.

Derek J. Lueking

At the time he disappeared, Lueking was 23 years old and was last seen leaving a Cherokee, N.C. hotel on March 3, 2012. His car was found parked in the lower lot of Newfound Gap, at the state line.

Lueking was reported missing two weeks after he was last seen.

He is described as 5’11” tall and weighing 220 pounds, with green eyes, brown hair and a short beard. If he was found today, he would be 37 years old.

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There is also at least one additional person who is believed to have disappeared into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park who still has not been found that is not included in the NPS’ list: William Bradford Bishop Jr.

Bishop disappeared in March of 1976, and he was added to the FBI’s Most Wanted list in 2014. According to the FBI, just one day before he was last seen at a sporting goods store in Jacksonville, North Carolina, Bishop allegedly bludgeoned his wife, mother, and three sons to death in Bethesda, Maryland.

Bishop’s car was found more than two weeks later in the Elkmont Area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, according to NamUs. The FBI said was charged with murder by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office in Rockville, Maryland, and federally with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

In 2014, the FBI believed Bishop might have assumed a new identity and was hiding in plain sight. In 1976, Bishop was 6’1″, 180 pounds, with brown hair. Notably, the FBI says he had a six-inch vertical surgical scar on his lower back. See the slideshow below for photos of Bishop and age progressions of what he may have looked like more recently.

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If Bishop was found today, he would be 88 years old. The FBI says anyone with information about Bishop and where he might be should contact the nearest FBI office or American Embassy or Consulate

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What to do if someone is lost in a national park

If you know someone who may be lost or could need help in a national park, Hernandez said to reach out to the park and report it immediately.

“If you suspect that someone could be needing help, a member of your party or someone you passed, or you know your friends who are on the trail didn’t check in with you that they got back on time, don’t hesitate to ask. Call the rangers. Go to the visitor center. Call 911,” she said. “Don’t wait to ask for that help because parks have trained staff to look for folks who go missing and it is better that they find that the person quickly and they were already on their return journey home and like ‘oh, you didn’t have to call anyone,’ than you know the alternative that you didn’t inform authorities and the person definitely needs help two weeks down the line.”

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She also shared that one of the reasons they see people become lost in national parks is because people are not prepared for what they are trying to do inside the park. While staff at each national park work to ensure that people who are lost inside the park are found quickly, there are practical steps you can take to ensure your own safety before travelling to a national park. Hernandez said it is important to plan your trip before you leave home, take enough water and snacks that will help you stay hydrated, wear proper clothing for the environment you are visiting, and plan ahead by downloading or printing out a current map of where you plan to go and making sure you know how to do it.

In some cases, people can lose their way more easily if they are not on established trails that have many signs. Hikers may also chose to go on a route, which requires more wayfinding and knowing reading a map than trails, and in those cases, it’s important to know where you are going and to have a compass that you know how to use. She added that before hitting the trail, it’s also important to consider if you are up for the task at hand.

Some other steps that can help searchers find you if you do get lost is to stay on the path, update people who know where you are going if your plans change, and take along a mirror and whistle, which might help get the attention of searchers. Hernandez added that it’s also important to consider what the terrain you are travelling in will look like and considering wearing something that would stand out, such as a layer of bright clothing. It’s also important to note that weather and terrain may make searches for people who are missing more complex.

Hernandez also shared an important reminder for people to think about when they hit the trails: “I would just ask readers to be careful, take care of themselves, make good decisions while you’re out on your activity, and don’t be afraid to speak up and say that you need to turn around because turning around and getting back to civilization sooner than you expected is better than the alternative.”

If you’re considering heading to a national park, visit the NPS trip planning guide and find out more about current conditions, entrance fees, permits, road closures and more on the NPS website.

Authorities say nearly 400 people go missing in Tennessee each year. That’s five people for every 100,000. Check this list of people missing from East Tennessee to see if you can help locate someone.