TN TN - Michael Hearon, 51, Happy Valley, 23 Aug 2008

[bluestarzz]

TALLASSEE - Searchers found an ATV belonging to a missing Happy Valley man at 12:05 p.m. today, about a mile from his family's home.
Personnel from multiple agencies today are searching in the rain in a remote area of South Blount County for Michael Hearon, 51, missing since midday Saturday.
Hearon was last seen Saturday at his family homeplace at the end of Bell Branch Road, which is in the Happy Valley community.
His ATV was found about 30 yards off Happy Valley Loop, about a mile from the home, officials said today. Authorities were bringing in a Blount County Sheriff's Office track dog in an attempt to pick up Hearon's trail.
Jerry Hearon said his brother drove to the home Saturday with the intention to mow the grass. His truck and the trailer with the mower are still at the home, and the mower was apparently never unloaded.
Jerry Hearon said his wife called him at work at about 9 p.m. Saturday and told him other family members had reported his brother missing.
The search began in earnest early today and involved the Blount County Sheriff's Office and its specialized search and rescue team, as well as the Blount County Fire Department and rangers from the National Park Service. The home abuts the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Jerry Hearon said earlier it's unknown whether his brother may have become lost on a hike or may have been injured. He said his brother has mildly high blood pressure but no other serious health issues.
More details as they develop online and in Wednesday's News Sentinel.

 

[Hope4Lost]

My father-in-law told us to never, ever venture down into Happy Valley. Never. I didn't ask questions.

 

[bluestarzz]

Anyone with information regarding Hearon's disappearance or who has heard from him is asked to contact the Blount County Sheriff's Office at (865)273-5001 during business hours or via the 24-hour Crime Hotline at (865)273-5200.

this was posted today on local news, so he is still missing

 

[bluestarzz]

still missing.....weird....

 

[bluestarzz]

Authorities say a $5,000 reward is being offered for information that will help them find Michael Edwin Hearon, a 51-year-old Blount County man missing since Aug. 23.
Call the Blount County Sheriff's Office's Criminal Investigation Division between 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at 865-273-5001 or the 24-hour Crime Hotline at 865-273-5200. To be eligible for the reward, respondents must be willing to give their name and contact information.

bluestarzz

 

[bluestarzz]

 

[ThoughtFox]

I live in Tennessee, though I don't know that area. How bizarre that he just disappeared!

My first thoughts were: Pot Farmers. They might have a crop growing in the woods and he caught them. The fact that his lawnmower and truck weren't stolen isn't strange if they didn't want to leave fingerprints.

My second thought was that maybe a bear was hanging around the homeplace - apples are ripe this time of year, for instance. And this happened near Great Smokey Mts. which is full of wandering bears this time of year. Maybe he was chased by a bear, fell down some rocks, or worse, was hurt by the bear.

My third thought - this reminds me of the circumstances of the Signal Mountain Murders in Chattanooga when three men on ATVs disappeared in a remote area. A man had killed them and hidden the bodies and eventually it was solved.
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_56249.asp

 

[Rosco]

Still missing? Praying...

 

[bluestarzz]

also check out Randy Marion on this forum............to weird, both of these cases
bluestarzz

 

[Hope4Lost]

I'm tellin ya...my fil said don't ever go down there. He'd evidently heard things from folks who had lived in the surrounding area for a very, very long time. I'm interested in hearing anything he's heard about these cases.

 

[ThoughtFox]

I'm tellin ya...my fil said don't ever go down there. He'd evidently heard things from folks who had lived in the surrounding area for a very, very long time. I'm interested in hearing anything he's heard about these cases.

Can you give an example of what you mean by that? Dangerous people? Drugs? Meth Labs? Moonshine? Animals? Bears? Wild Boars? Bigfoot?

 

[bluestarzz]

i am interested in that also. what did he mean by that? this guy lived there all his life, so the story said.
bluestarzz

 

[Hope4Lost]

He did not say exactly, but implied that there are quite a few...shall we say...interesting folks down in that area. And that they have their ways of taking care of things. Think in terms of "Deliverance." He'd heard enough from folks who had lived near the area for many years to tell us to stay away. He wouldn't have told us that if he didn't have a reason. He did not get any more specific than that, but I will ask him when I talk to him the next time. The population of Happy Valley, per wiki, is 529.

 

[MagnoliaMom]

Alot of articles on Michael here plus info on the searches
http://www.missingabducted.com/2008/09/michael-edwin-h.html

Snipped from this article http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20080829/NEWS/308299973

"U.S. Park Ranger Jamie Sanders was preparing to take a group of eight people to an area around a cave Hearon reportedly frequented. Searchers had explored the cave and didn't think the man was inside, but decided to search the area around it.

"It is a really rocky kind of area, so it's possible that if he did go to the cave and was hiking around up there, that he could have slipped and fell on one of those rocks," Sanders told the group. "So because of that, we're going to go and really do a good little grid area around that cave."

It sounds like they did a thorough mounted and foot search, helicopter search, diver search, and also used cadaver dogs.
~snip http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20080830/NEWS/308309992

"Hundreds of volunteers and officials covered about 450 acres -- with some areas being searched more than once -- since Tuesday, French said.

Tactics included an aerial search Friday with assistance from the Knox County Sheriff's Office helicopter, cadaver dogs from North Carolina, sheriff's deputies on horseback, private citizens with horses, ATVs and grid searches of the backcountry on foot. About 50 miles of hiking trails were also searched, French said."

They just don't have any evidence to know which direction to go. I feel really sad for his family. Just covering his property is alot of ground. I think they need to go back over the cave area. http://geology.com/gemstones/natural-gemstones.shtml

 

[bluestarzz]

well, i don't want to be tacky, but "time" should have told if he is somewhere on the property, if they are still looking.......
i have heard that property is rugged, but........maybe they need to start looking at who might want that property. when i go to pigeon forge, the other side of things from where he is, there are cabins perched everywhere on the hillsides.....makes you
wonder about his property and if anyone wants it for big development...as in motives to make him "disapear".....neva know
bluestarzz

 

[snowme]

I'm wondering - if he went there to mow and the mower was never unloaded - what may have been his possible reason for taking the ATV out (as it was found about a mile from the property). Would it have been a reasonable thing that he'd just take a little adventure ride first before mowing ... or perhaps to visit someone he would normally visit while on the mowing trip to the property?

His brother says something about Michael perhaps getting lost on a hike -- if the ATV was found a mile away -- would he take the ATV out and hike from some other spot as a rule? Would it be something he was known to do previously?

 

[bluestarzz]

another one close to home like jennifer, bumping for michael.
bluestarzz

 

[ThoughtFox]

I'm wondering - if he went there to mow and the mower was never unloaded - what may have been his possible reason for taking the ATV out (as it was found about a mile from the property). Would it have been a reasonable thing that he'd just take a little adventure ride first before mowing ... or perhaps to visit someone he would normally visit while on the mowing trip to the property?

His brother says something about Michael perhaps getting lost on a hike -- if the ATV was found a mile away -- would he take the ATV out and hike from some other spot as a rule? Would it be something he was known to do previously?

I can't imagine how he could get lost on his own family property!

i have heard that property is rugged, but........maybe they need to start looking at who might want that property. when i go to pigeon forge, the other side of things from where he is, there are cabins perched everywhere on the hillsides.....makes you
wonder about his property and if anyone wants it for big development...as in motives to make him "disapear".....neva know
bluestarzz

I'm wondering exactly the same thing. :waitasec:

 

[UTVolFan]

Can you give an example of what you mean by that? Dangerous people? Drugs? Meth Labs? Moonshine? Animals? Bears? Wild Boars? Bigfoot?

Dangerous People? Yes. My mom always told me that were some really mean people in Happy Valley. I'm not sure exactly why she thought that. I know other people who have lived in Tallassee and never had any problems.

Bears? There are definately bears in the area. My husband saw one yesterday not far from there.

Moonshine? It's not too hard to find moonshine anywhere in East TN!

Bigfoot? Not out of the question.

Seriously though, I hope they find what happened to Mike. I don't know him personally but I know lots of people who do. I've heard he was a very nice man. I haven't heard an update on this case in a while. It seems he just disappeared without a trace. Very sad.

 

[bluestarzz]

you would think he would know about dangerous people, considering i read that he grew up there......
i wonder if he found illegal drugs grown on his land? met up with the people doing it?
bumping for his safe return
bluestarzz