UNSOLVED DISAPPEARANCE: MIKE HEARON

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.

Michael “Mike” Hearon was 51 years old when he disappeared in August 2008. Despite extensive search efforts, no sign of Mike–beyond his abandoned ATV–has been found.

A screen shot from a WBIR news segment on Mike’s disappearance (link below) shows the Happy Valley, TN area where Mike disappeared from.

A Google Maps satellite image shows the Happy Valley, TN area. Bell Branch Road (where Mike’s farm property was located) is marked with a red indicator.

Blount County Sheriff’s Department personnel embark upon a horseback search for Mike days after his disappearance. Photo by Knoxville News Sentinel (source article linked below).

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)

What is Snaring? (Lilongwe Wildlife Trust)

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)