Suspect sketch released in Craggy Gardens assault on 64-year-old female hiker found tied to tree

Eleven days after the assault of a 64-year-old female hiker at Craggy Gardens off the Blue Ridge Parkway, National Park Service officials have released a sketch of a suspect, described as a white male, around 50 years old, salt-and-pepper gray hair with an unshaven face.

Park officials with the Blue Ridge Parkway confirmed last week that the woman had been assaulted.

The suspect was said to be wearing a light-colored or faded gray short-sleeve T-shirt, baggy blue pants that appeared old and faded, and dark tennis shoes. He was described as being unkempt and smelled bad, probably from going unbathed.

The hiker, whose service dog was nearby, was taken to an area hospital and released later the same day. She was reported missing by her caregiver and found by emergency personnel who found her tied to a tree near the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center.

Rangers ask anyone with information to call the investigative tip line at 888-653-0009.

Blue Ridge Parkway officials confirm 64-year-old hiker found tied to tree was assaulted

Park officials with the Blue Ridge Parkway have confirmed that the 64-year-old female hiker found tied to a tree last week near the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center off the Blue Ridge Parkway was assaulted. Neil Labrie, chief ranger for the Blue Ridge Parkway, reported in an email to the Asheville Citizen-Times that an assault did indeed occur. He said all information that was going to be released has been released, according to the Citizen-Times report.

US National Park Service officials at the scene of Craggy Gardens assault. (Photo: News7 WSPA)

 The hiker, whose service dog was nearby, was taken to an area hospital and released later the same day, according to reports. Much of the information about the assault was released as a result of communication between first responders, such as the detail of her being found tied to a tree.

Leesa Brandon, spokeswoman for the National Park Service, said officials have not released further information “in an effort to balance the integrity of this ongoing investigation and the privacy of the people involved,” according to the Citizen-Times.

“While there is an ongoing investigation and a suspect description was released, investigators involved also believed there was no additional threat to public safety and opened the area and all nearby visitor facilities,” she wrote in an email to the Citizen-Times on Monday.

A person of interest in the case is a white male, about 50 years old, with salt-and-pepper hair and partially grown facial hair. He may have been wearing a light-colored or faded gray short-sleeve T-shirt, baggy blue pants that appeared old and faded, and dark tennis shoes. He was said to be unkempt and smelly, possible from going unbathed.

Park Officials investigating assault of 64-year-old woman found tied to tree while hiking in North Carolina on Mountains to Sea Trail

Buncombe County, NC - Special Agents with the Investigative Services Branch (ISB) of the National Park Service and US Park Rangers of the Blue Ridge Parkway are actively investigating a possible assault that occurred in the area of Craggy Gardens, part of the Mountains to Sea Trail, on Thursday afternoon, May 12.

Rescuers found a 64-year-old female hiker tied to a tree along the Blue Ridge Parkway. (Photo WLOS)

Rangers and other emergency responders conducted a brief search for a hiker that was reportedly missing, and found the 64-year-old woman tied to a tree. She was taken to Mission Hospital for care and her current condition is unknown. Investigators do not have reason to believe this incident was anything other than an isolated event. All visitor facilities in the area remain open.

ABC News 13 WLOS reported that the woman was found near Potato Field Gap, which is less than four miles from the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center in Reems Creek, NC.

The incident began early Thursday afternoon, when the Reems Creek Fire Department responded to a call for a lost person who was possibly having a medical issue, according to a captain with that Weaverville-based agency.

A woman called dispatchers at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, saying she was getting texts from her friend, who was hiking in the area of Snowball Trail at Craggy Gardens.

The 911 caller identified herself as a caregiver for the 64-year-old woman. The caller said she had gotten texts from her friend about changing hiking plans, but then she received messages that the woman was having an emergency. The caller was unsure of the nature of the emergency, but did say the woman has a medical condition.

“She has something that looks like seizures, and when she does, she is conscious long enough sometimes to send a text but generally it renders her somewhat mute,” the caller said in a 911 recording. When crews arrived, they discovered the woman tied to tree. Officials have declined to discuss details of those circumstances.

A rescue worker on the scene told a dispatcher in an emergency radio call, "She's not deceased at this time. She is tied to a tree. This is the one they were looking for."

A person of interest in this case is a white male about 50 years old with salt-and-pepper hair, and he may have partially-grown facial hair. The man was possibly wearing a light-colored or faded gray short-sleeve T-shirt, baggy blue pants that appear old and faded, and dark tennis shoes. He may appear generally unkempt and smell of a musty odor of going unwashed.

If you have any information about the incident, or if you may have noticed someone behaving suspiciously around Craggy Gardens or along the Mountains to Sea Trail between noon and 4:00 p.m. yesterday, please contact the Park Service.

You don't have to tell them who you are, but please tell them what you know:
Call their Tip Line at 888-653-0009
Submit at online Tip
Send a Facebook Message
Email us