Formal search ends for lawyer missing in North Georgia mountains, firm says
The massive search led by Union County responders to find a Texas attorney and professor last seen two weeks ago has been paused in North Georgia, according to his law firm.
But the family of Charles Hosch has vowed to continue looking for the Gainesville native, who went missing while hiking near Blood Mountain on the Byron Herbert Reece Trail, which he has explored since childhood.
“This does not mark the end of the search; the case remains active, and search and rescue personnel will continue to pursue any new clues or credible information that arises,” the family said in a post on the Hosch & Morris law firm’s website.
Hosch, 67, was last seen on the trail Nov. 11, according to investigators. One of his daughters previously told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Hosch had talked to someone at the top of the trail.
When he didn’t return from his hike, a large search was launched that included dozens of officers, specialized K-9 units, aerial support including helicopters and drones, and other tracking devices that rely on technology.
By last Friday, about 268 search and rescue professionals had been involved in looking for the man, according to updates posted to his Dallas, Texas’, law firm’s website. Many of his friends and family members have traveled to the area to join the search.
The sheriff’s office on Tuesday referred comment about the search to the county’s Emergency Management Agency. Officials at that agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
County officials said in a Facebook post a few days ago the ground search teams had been scaled back “in favor of specialized K-9 teams.”
A Harvard Law School graduate, Hosch has been married 42 years, has two daughters and recently became a grandfather, according to his law firm. He is a former Eagle Scout and volunteered with the Scouts organization.
Hosch was last seen wearing khaki pants, a camel-colored sweater and a dark green jacket, according to the Union County Sheriff’s Office. He is 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds.
Anyone with information on Hosch’s whereabouts should call the Union County Emergency Operations Center at 706-439-6091.
“We will not stop,” the family said. “We will bring him home.”
