Case file
Key facts
- Name: Charles M. Hosch
- Age at disappearance: 67
- Missing since: November 11, 2025
- Location: Byron Herbert Reece Trail and Appalachian Trail, Blood Mountain, Union County, Georgia; last seen descending from the summit at about 1:30 p.m.
- Description: 6 feet 1 inch tall, about 200 pounds, white hair and glasses. Last seen wearing khaki pants, a camel-colored sweater and a dark green jacket.
- Status: Still missing — his body has never been found after 10 months of searching; his family held a memorial service in Dallas on September 19, 2026, and says the search continues
- Investigating agency: Union County Sheriff’s Office / Union County Emergency Operations Center, 706-439-6091; call 911 if you are in Union County, Georgia
A trail he had known since childhood
Charles Hosch lived and worked in Dallas, Texas — he co-founded the law firm Hosch & Morris and taught as an adjunct professor at SMU’s Dedman School of Law for decades — but he was a native of Gainesville, Georgia, and had hiked Blood Mountain since childhood. In November 2025 he was in Gainesville tending to his late father’s estate. On Tuesday, November 11, 2025, after breakfast with his brother, he set out alone on the Byron Herbert Reece Trail toward the summit of Blood Mountain, a rugged section of the Appalachian Trail in Union County. Temperatures were in the high 30s. He planned to start driving back to Texas that same day.
He reached the top. Hosch spoke briefly with other hikers near the summit — his family says a credible account places a conversation with him at about 1:30 p.m. — and was last seen descending, observed by two witnesses on the middle of three large rock shelves below the peak. He was never seen or heard from again. After he did not return and could not be reached overnight, his wife, Beth Hosch, filed a missing-person report on November 12.
268 searchers, dogs, helicopters — and no trace
The Union County Sheriff’s Office led a large search involving dozens of officers, specialized K-9 units, helicopters and drones. By the second week, about 268 search and rescue professionals had taken part, according to updates from his law firm. Search dogs gave indications in scent pools near the lower rock shelves and along the Freeman Trail, but the rocky terrain — wind moving through cliffs and boulders, dense brush and thick rhododendron — made a clear direction impossible to pin down. Temperatures on the mountain dipped into the low 20s the night he disappeared.
On November 24–25, 2025, Union County paused its formal search. “This does not mark the end of the search; the case remains active, and search and rescue personnel will continue to pursue any new clues or credible information that arises,” the family said through the firm. Sheriff Shawn Dyer said foul play was not suspected. The family and volunteer teams — including Backcountry Unit Search and Rescue, Knox County Search and Rescue and the Search and Rescue Tracking Institute — kept searching through the winter, spring and summer of 2026, using drones, analytical tools and a Bluetooth-detection app that can pick up a car key fob signal. Nothing belonging to Hosch has been reported found.
After 10 months without finding him, his family held a Service of Death and Resurrection for Charles Martin Hosch on September 19, 2026, at University Park United Methodist Church in Dallas. A memorial is not a recovery: GearJunkie’s September 2026 account confirms his body has never been found, a volunteer was on Blood Mountain searching even on the day of the service, and the family says its commitment to bringing him home has not wavered.
What is not known
What happened on the descent is unknown. Searchers do not know where he left the trail, whether he fell in the rocky terrain, or why an experienced hiker — an Eagle Scout who knew this mountain — left no trace that dogs, drones and hundreds of searchers could find. His phone has never been located; the family says data suggested it may not have been charging properly and was likely dead, and efforts with AT&T, Apple and Google were unsuccessful. Authorities have found no indication of foul play.
Have information?
Contact the Union County Emergency Operations Center at 706-439-6091, or call 911 if you are in Union County, Georgia. If you were hiking on Blood Mountain on November 11, 2025 — especially between 1:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. — or have time-stamped photos, video or trail-camera footage from that afternoon, investigators and the family ask you to come forward through the family’s site, bringcharleshome.com.
Timeline
- November 11, 2025, morning — After breakfast with his brother in Gainesville, Hosch sets out alone on the Byron Herbert Reece Trail toward Blood Mountain.
- November 11, 2025, ~1:30 p.m. — Last seen at the summit area, then descending the Appalachian Trail; two witnesses see him on the middle rock shelf.
- November 12, 2025 — His wife Beth files a missing-person report; helicopters are dispatched and the search begins.
- November 20, 2025 — K-9 teams report indications in two primary scent pools; heavy rain suspends operations that weekend.
- November 24–25, 2025 — Formal search paused after about 268 professionals have participated; the case remains active and the family vows to keep searching. Foul play is not suspected.
- Winter–summer 2026 — Volunteer and professional teams continue search weekends on Blood Mountain, including a large multi-agency operation March 14–15, 2026.
- September 19, 2026 — Family holds a memorial service in Dallas. He has still not been found.
- Today — Still missing. No recovery has been reported; the family and searchers say the search continues.
FAQ
Is Charles Hosch still missing?
Yes. He has never been found. After 10 months of searching, his family held a memorial service on September 19, 2026, but his body has not been recovered and the family says the search for him continues.
Was Charles Hosch found?
No. Despite about 268 search and rescue professionals, K-9 teams, helicopters and drones in the first two weeks — and volunteer searches continuing through 2026 — no trace of him has been reported found.
Where was Charles Hosch last seen?
Descending the Appalachian Trail from the summit of Blood Mountain in Union County, Georgia, at about 1:30 p.m. on November 11, 2025. Two witnesses saw him on the middle rock shelf on the descent from the peak. He had hiked up via the Byron Herbert Reece Trail.
What happened to Charles Hosch?
That is not known. He reached the summit, spoke with other hikers, and started back down a trail he had known since childhood, then vanished. Authorities have found no indication of foul play, and searchers believe the mountain’s rocky, brush-choked terrain can hide a person even after extensive searching.
What does Charles Hosch look like?
He is 6 feet 1 inch tall and about 200 pounds, with white hair and glasses. He was last seen wearing khaki pants, a camel-colored sweater and a dark green jacket.
How long has Charles Hosch been missing?
Since November 11, 2025 — more than 11 months as of October 20, 2026. He was 67 when he disappeared.
Who is investigating?
The Union County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia, through the Union County Emergency Operations Center at 706-439-6091.
How can I help?
If you hiked Blood Mountain on November 11, 2025, share what you saw — and any time-stamped photos or trail-camera footage — with the Union County Emergency Operations Center. Hikers on Blood Mountain today should report anything unusual, such as clothing or gear off-trail, rather than disturbing it.
Sources
- News (retrospective): GearJunkie, “What We Can Learn From the Georgia Hiker Who Never Came Home” (September 23, 2026 — hiked Blood Mountain alone many times; set out November 11, 2025; after 10 months of searching his body was never found; family memorial in Dallas; photograph courtesy of the Hosch family).
- News: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Search continues for law professor missing in North Georgia mountains” and “Formal search ends; family to keep looking for lawyer missing in Georgia mountains” (November 2025 — missing since November 11 on the Byron Herbert Reece Trail; last seen 1:30 p.m. descending; 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, khaki pants, camel-colored sweater, dark green jacket; ~268 searchers; formal search paused, case remains active).
- News: SMU Daily Campus, “Search continues for SMU law professor Charles Hosch” (November 2025 — photograph courtesy of Julia Hosch Singh; wife Beth filed the missing-person report on November 12; K-9 scent pools November 20; Union County Emergency Operations Center 706-439-6091).
- News: Above the Law, “Dallas Attorney Missing On Appalachian Trail As Formal Search Winds Down” (November 2025 — Union County statement that the case remains active; Sheriff Shawn Dyer: last seen at the summit; foul play not suspected).
- Family: Bring Charles Home (bringcharleshome.com) — family search updates: last seen by two witnesses on the middle rock shelf; no indication of foul play; September 19, 2026 memorial service; search continues; tips to the Union County Emergency Operations Center at 706-439-6091.
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 20, 2026.