Search For Missing Hiker Suspended On GA Mountain

Updated 5:03 p.m. Monday

UNION COUNTY, GA — A nearly two-week long search for a missing hiker and law professor is suspended after a hunt for the man yielded no new clues Monday in Union County, his law firm said in an update.

Charles Hosch, a 67-year-old Georgia native and Texas law professor, disappeared on Nov. 11 at Byron Herbert Reece Trailhead near Blood Mountain, according to the Union County Sheriff's Office.

He is co-founder of Hosch and Morris, a law firm in Dallas, Texas. The firm said K9 operations were suspended indefinitely Sunday after another day of not locating Hosch.

Formal efforts to search for and rescue Hosch were set to continue "for one more day" Monday. Late afternoon, the law firm said the search was suspended, pending new information or clues.

"We are forever indebted to the search and rescue teams who navigated treacherous terrain in challenging conditions with heroism, skill, and tireless dedication. Their commitment to finding Charles has been nothing short of remarkable, and we will be always grateful for their courage and compassion," the law firm stated in an update Monday.

"Our own search efforts will continue. We are planning the next phase and will share details as they develop. ... In this moment of uncertainty, we turn to Charles’s favorite verse, John 1:5: 'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.' Charles has been that light to so many—his family, his students, his colleagues, his friends, his community. His wisdom, kindness, selflessness, and unwavering integrity have illuminated countless lives, and his light burns in every heart that loves him. We carry that light with us as we search. We will not stop. We will bring him home."

Authorities on Friday said they were "scaling back" ground searches so K9 teams could track clues.

Hosch has adored the Blood Mountain area since he was a child in Gainesville, his law firm said. He is now a professor at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in Texas, according to his biography.

"Charles has deep roots in North Georgia and intimate knowledge of these mountain trails he has hiked throughout his life," the law firm stated.

More than 10 law-enforcement agencies have been searching for Hosch, who authorities said stands at 6-feet-1-inch tall and weighs 200 pound.

He was last seen wearing khaki pants, a camel-colored sweater and a dark green jacket. He was "descending" from the top of Blood Mountain and possibly meant to hike the Appalachian Trail, a path quite familiar to him, when he could have "lost his way," his law firm stated.

RELATED: Search For Missing Professor On GA Mountain Enters 2nd Week

Family members told WXIA-TV "it's huge" that a hiker's account of conversing with Hosch on Bell Mountain the day he disappeared ensured them that Hosch had arrived to the area.

This exchange may have happened around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, CBS News reported.

WXIA reported his car was recently located at Byron Herbert Reece.

Hosch, at the time, was not wearing the correct hiking shoes, his family reportedly said.

Authorities asked anyone with information to call the Emergency Operations Center at (706) 439-6091.