Dallas attorney missing for nearly a week after hiking Appalachian Mountains: Sheriff
A Dallas attorney described by his daughter as an "Eagle Scout in every sense of the word" has been missing for nearly a week after he left for a hike along the Appalachian Mountains, local officials said.
Charles Hosch, 67, was last seen on Nov. 11 at the Byron Herbert Reece Trailhead in Blairsville, Georgia, along Blood Mountain, according to the Union County Sheriff's Office.
The Dallas intellectual property attorney was in town to meet with his brother, his daughter Julia Hosch told ABC News. She said he decided to go on a hike through the familiar terrain before heading back to Texas.
"He brought a shovel and a jar to bring home some Georgia dirt from this mountain," she said.
Blood Mountain is one that Hosch "really enjoyed going up with his brother and his dad as a kid," according to his daughter.
As of Monday, Hosch had still not been found, with officials saying more than 95 search-and-rescue personnel searched for him on Sunday.
Canines and aviation units have also been deployed in the multi-agency search effort to find Hosch, officials noted.
Temperatures have dipped under freezing in the last week, Union County Sheriff Dyer told Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA.
"It got down into the 20s, lower 20s here, and you risk hypothermia," Dyer told WFAA.
His daughter, who has been on the ground working with officials, said they have confirmed Hosch was descending from the top of Blood Mountain when he was last seen.
The Harvard Law School graduate is described by his daughter as "incredibly outgoing" and someone who "finds the good in every possible situation."
Hosch, who is 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs approximately 200 pounds, was last seen wearing khaki pants, a camel-colored sweater and a dark green jacket, officials said.
Asked by ABC News if she could say anything to her father right now, Julia Hosch said she would tell him to "hang in there just a little longer."
"If anybody could creatively figure out a way to find shelter, warmth, food and stay alive, it would be Dad," Hosch's daughter told ABC News.
Anyone near the Byron Herbert Reece Trailhead or surrounding Blood Mountain area on or around Nov. 11 is urged to contact the Union County Sheriff's Office Emergency Operations Center at 706-439-6091.
