TN TN - Matthew James Smith, 34, from NC, SUV found in Greeneville, 11 Nov 2018

[CuriousCricket]

This is a strange case.
Nov 8 someone calls the Forest Service and reports a suspicious person walking along the trail. What was suspicious about him? Was he acting strange, aggressive or what?
Forest Service searches but does not find anyone.
November 11. Matthew is reported missing.
Nov 18th. Hunters find his car on the trail.
Usually there is contact information for callers unless it was an anonymous call. Why did LE originally presume the suspicious person was Matthew? Does LE now believe the suspicious person may be responsible for Matthew’s disappearance?
There are a lot of questions regarding this case

I think he was called in as suspicious because he was there and looked out of place, perhaps. He was seen Nov. 8, but not reported missing until the 11th. If he had a mishap on the trail, with the cold of early November in the East Tennessee mountains, he would likely have been dead from exposure by the 11th and certainly by Nov. 18 when his car was found.

I don't understand his car being found by "hunters" "on the trail". The trailhead is at the Margarette Falls Parking Lot. The road isn't heavily traveled, but "found"? Maybe the hunters just eventually recognized it had been there for awhile? If so, why did Law Enforcement not find it when they first checked out the report of a "suspicious man"? Prob. nothing looked out of place.

OR answer to my own question: He could have hiked the trail, moved on then perhaps realized he had dropped or lost something on the Kennedy Cabin Trail. He could have gone back to look for it and gotten into trouble.

Actually, that scenario makes sense. If whatever he dropped fell down an embankment, and he went after it, he would have been off trail. If he got hurt or could not get back up to the trail, he could have
A. be hurt and died from exposure
B. tried to find another location to access the trail and become more lost, eventually dying from exposure . . .

From the directions, the Kennedy Cabin is not on what most local people think of as "Viking Mountain" as that is most often accessed off the Asheville Highway.

Just consulted Google Maps and apparently the Kennedy Cabin Trail is on the far backside of the mountain, a 31 minute and 10 mile drive or a 35 minute and 21.4 mile drive from Viking Mountain Road, off the Asheville Highway.

"This loop hike to the remains of the historic Kennedy Cabin is one of the most strenuous hikes in the area. The climb up is exceedingly rocky and steep", according to Ned Sanders of the Greeneville Hiking Club.
http://greenevillehikingclub.com/files/bullenhollowreynoldsridgeloop.pdf

I would guess the most likely thing was that he fell while hiking alone. However, it could be possible he ran into some illegal activity, such as pot growing, and was "disposed" of.

I'll be really surprised if this has a positive outcome.

 

[CuriousCricket]

Well, cancel the Margarette Falls Parking Lot idea. Just spoke with a member of the local hiking club who says they ALWAYS access the Kennedy Cabin Trail from Viking Mountain and doesn't know about the loop from Margarette Falls as it is the far side of the mountain. Apparently, there is room to get off the road for the trail. Since Smith apparently had an SUV, perhaps he could have driven back the trail some. This is a remote area, so if his vehicle was out of sight, it is understandable it took so long for it to be discovered.

 

[BlkMtnGirl]

New to this one. I’m surprised it slipped under my radar, as I’m familiar with Burke county and Valdese, and know a little about Greeneville as well. (They’re quite far apart and there’s not really much reason to connect the two areas in my mind.) There are a lot of holes in what info they’re releasing. I don’t understand the bit about searching with gps. They must have known to search the area somehow because there is no obvious connection between where he lives and the trail. After poking around on social media, I wonder if the sighting on the trail was a person known to Matthew concerned for Matthew’s well-being (self-harm). Sorry, I’m tired. Not sure if that made sense.

 

[CuriousCricket]

New to this one. I’m surprised it slipped under my radar, as I’m familiar with Burke county and Valdese, and know a little about Greeneville as well. (They’re quite far apart and there’s not really much reason to connect the two areas in my mind.) There are a lot of holes in what info they’re releasing. I don’t understand the bit about searching with gps. They must have known to search the area somehow because there is no obvious connection between where he lives and the trail. After poking around on social media, I wonder if the sighting on the trail was a person known to Matthew concerned for Matthew’s well-being (self-harm). Sorry, I’m tired. Not sure if that made sense.

I agree that much of what has been released is confusing. Burke and Greeneville are far apart. But didn't one of the stories say he often hiked in East Tennessee? I don't understand the searching with gps either. The Rescue Squad mentioned is a volunteer organization. The members drag bodies of water when someone drowns and have been involved in rescues for at least 70 years. I had not really considered self-harm. I suppose it is also possible he had made arrangements to meet someone there and drove off into the sunset for a new life in that person's vehicle.