When a Tennessee outdoorsman disappears in a remote area on the outskirts of a national park, he leaves behind a loving family and a thriving business. Extensive  search efforts fail to solve a mystery that unfolds in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains in this episode of Last Seen Alive.

Sources used to research this episode:

(Video) Mike Hearon: Man Missing in Mountains (WBIR News)

The Charley Project: Michael Edwin Hearon

Happy Valley’s Sad Mystery: Sons Reflect on Father’s Mysterious Disappearance (Knoxville News / Robert L Wilson)

Search Continues for Missing Blount Man (Knoxville News Sentinel)

NAMUS: Michael Hearon

Google Maps: Happy Valley, Tennessee (35°36’32.3″N 83°57’26.7″W)

When to Use Low or High Gear on an ATV (ATV Helper)

Illegal Pot Operations In Public Forests Are Poisoning Wildlife And Water (NPR)

Keeping Safe If You Come Across a Marijuana Grow Site (US Forest Service)

Tennessee Marijuana Laws and Penalties (NORML.ORG)

Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis 2009 (National Drug Intelligence Center)

Home Distilling (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau)

Investigators: Evidence Supports Theory Morgan Co. Man Who Disappeared in 2017 Crashed into Tree (WBIR News)

Morgan County Rescue Squad Looking for Missing Man (1057 News)

If you know anything about the disappearance of Mike Hearon, please contact the Blount County Sheriff’s Department at 865-273-5001 or click here for information on how to anonymously submit a tip online or via text.