Bryce Evans, a 23-year-old Tennessee man who had been missing since August 1, was discovered dead in North Carolina’s Balsam Mountains on August 5.
After leaving for a camping and hiking vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Bryce Evans, a member of the National Guard and a student at the University of Tennessee, was reported missing last week.
Evans was last seen in Cherokee, North Carolina, on July 31, according to Fox News. When he didn’t return his calls, his parents filed a missing person report. On Thursday, his gray 2017 Nissan Ultima was found at the beginning of a hiking trail. The investigation into Evans’ cause of death is still ongoing, according to authorities.
Bryce Evans liked to be outside. He was an Eagle Scout before beginning his service as a National Outdoorsman. He had told his sister, Analise Evans, to go to the gym before driving to Charlottesville, North Carolina, to sign up for an internship at the University of North Carolina, before he disappeared. But according to university records, she never showed up there.
Evans also didn’t check into the gym, according to Scott Erland, a spokesman for the Knoxville police. According to The Citizens Times, after discovering Bryce Evans’ car on Heintooga Ridge Road at 7:45 p.m. on August 4, officers locked down the area and conducted a search of the surrounding region. The Cherokee Police and Fire Departments and the National Park Service worked together on this project.
The search continued on August 5. Rescuers found Evans’ body off the road around 11:15 am Analiese Evans posted her condolences for her brother on social media in response to the finding. She stated in an Instagram post: Authorities have not yet released Evans’ cause of death.