Missing woman's body found by searchers 2 miles from Clingmans Dome near Appalachian Trail

UPDATE 10/2/2018: Search crews located the body of Susan Clements in Great Smoky Mountains National Park late this afternoon. Her body was found approximately two miles west of the Clingmans Dome parking area, and 3/4 mile south of the Appalachian Trail. Our hearts are with the family and friends of Ms. Clements. The park would like to extend our appreciation to the many agencies and organizations that participated in the search effort.

Susan Clements' body has been found by searchers.
More details will be provided when they are available.

Further details will be provided when they become available.

UPDATE 10/1/2018 ... Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials are in their sixth full day of searching for Mitzie Sue “Susan” Clements, 53, who was last seen in the Clingmans Dome area of the park on Tuesday, Sept. 25. Over the weekend, the search effort intensified with the addition of personnel and specialized equipment from five states. Searchers, canine teams, helicopters, and drones are continuing to work in steep, rugged terrain of the mountainous area that straddles the North Carolina – Tennessee border.

Missing hiker Susan Clements.

As of Monday, around 125 trained searchers and logistical support personnel from more than 40 state and local agencies and search and rescue organizations are participating in the search operation led by the National Park Service. Thus far searchers have hiked over 500 miles on trails looking for Clements. In addition, experienced search personnel, canine teams, and drones with specialized search and rescue equipment have been used to conduct more intensive off-trail “grid-searches” of approximately 10 square miles.

Susan Clements was last seen on the Forney Ridge Trail approximately ¼ mile from Andrews Bald on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 5 pm. She is a white female with light brown hair and blue eyes, is 5’6” tall, and weighs 125 pounds. She is wearing a green zip-up sweater, black workout pants over black leggings and a clear rain poncho. The Park's press release today updated the shoes she was wearing to gray Nike running shoes with light green soles.

Searchers work in steep terrain. (NPS Photo)

A number of new organizations have joined in the search in the last two days, including:

• Christian Aid Ministries Search and Rescue
• Gatlinburg Fire Department
• Haywood County Search and Rescue
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation
• Tennessee Highway Patrol Rapid Response Team
• Tennesse Search and Rescue Team
• Tennessee State Parks
• United States Forest Service
• Cherokee Hotshots
• National Park Service personnel from Blue Ridge Parkway, Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, and Shenandoah National Park
• (See other participating organizations, below)

The seven-mile Clingmans Dome Road remains closed to accommodate the infrastructure needed to manage this large-scale search. There are no trail closures in effect at this time.

Clements search area. (NPS Photo)

9/30/2018 ... Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials continue to search for Mitzie Sue “Susan” Clements, 53, of Cleves, Ohio, who was last seen in the Clingmans Dome area of the park on Tuesday, Sept. 25. Trained personnel from cooperating agencies in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia have responded to assist park staff in a large-scale search effort for the missing woman in steep, rugged terrain.

Clements was hiking with her daughter on the Forney Ridge Trail, near Andrews Bald, when the two separated. She was last seen around 5:00 pm approximately ¼ mile from Andrews Bald.

Park officials were alerted that Clements was missing on Tuesday evening and began to search the immediate area with no success. On Wednesday, officials expanded the search area, and additional personnel were called in to search. Searchers spent the night on the Appalachian Trail Wednesday night, attempting to locate Clements and to interview any hikers in the area.

As of Saturday, around 125 trained searchers and logistical support personnel from more than 30 state and local agencies and search and rescue organizations are participating in the search operation led by the National Park Service.

Helicopters and multiple canine teams have been deployed for the search effort. Specialized search and rescue drones, operated by FAA-licensed pilots are being used in some areas to help search for Clements. Searchers have worked through rain, fog, wind and low temperatures in the 40s over the last several days in this mountainous region which straddles two states and several counties. Today’s forecast calls for clearer skies and drier air, a welcome change for search personnel.

By closing the seven-mile Clingmans Dome Road on Thursday night, the park was able to transform the Clingmans Dome parking area into a field “incident command post” from which to manage the complex search. Infrastructure such as tents and self-contained mobile command busses serve as portable offices for search personnel and provide a place for searchers to escape the elements, refuel, and receive instructions before heading back out to continue the search for Clements.

Verizon Wireless established a mobile cell booster, which is now providing the critical cell and data coverage needed to effectively manage and support the search effort in this remote location. Even the closed road itself has been used as a landing zone for aircraft that are assisting in the search as weather permits. Clingmans Dome Road remains closed for the duration of this critical search operation.

At this time additional volunteer searchers are not being sought, as search operations are limited to trained searchers to enable a systematic, thorough search of the area. “This is unforgiving terrain, and we are working long hours to find Ms. Clements,” said Acting Chief Ranger Jared St. Clair. “We are extremely grateful for the rapid response by so many well-trained personnel and the generous support resources that our cooperators have dedicated to this search.”

Cooperating organizations include:

• Backcountry Unit Search and Rescue
• Black Diamond Search and Rescue
• Blount County Rescue Squad
• Blount County Special Operations Response Team
• Blue and Gray Search and Rescue Dogs
• Buncombe County Rescue Squad
• Catons Chapel-Richardson Cove Volunteer Fire Department
• Cherokee Indian Police Department
• Cherokee Tribal EMS
• Gatlinburg Police Department
• Henderson County Rescue Squad and EMS
• Jackson County Sheriff’s Office
• Knox County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
• Knoxville-Knox County Emergency Management Agency
• Maryville Police Department
• North Carolina Emergency Management Agency
• Northview Kodak Fire Department
• Pigeon Forge Police Department
• Sevier County Emergency Management Agency
• Sevier County Volunteer Rescue Squad
• Sevier County Sheriff’s Office
• Sevierville Police Department
• Southwest Virginia Mountain Rescue Group
• Seymour Volunteer Fire Department
• Smoky Mountain Nordic Ski Patrol
• Smoky Mountain Search and Rescue Team
• Swain County Emergency Management Agency
• Swain County Rescue Squad
• Swain County Sheriff’s Office
• Tennessee Emergency Management Agency
• Walden’s Creek Volunteer Fire Department.

Anyone who saw Clements on Tuesday afternoon or since then is asked to contact the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch through one of the following methods: 1-888-653-0009, www.nps.gov/isb and click “submit a tip,” email nps_isb@nps.gov, or via a message on Facebook at “InvestigativeServicesNPS,” or Twitter @SpecialAgentNPS.

Jenny Bennett, avid off-trail hiker, reported missing by brother after apparent hike over a week ago

Freelance editor and avid off-trail hiker Jenny Bennett of Sylva, NC, who writes the hiking blog Endless Streams and Forests, is missing following what relatives believe was a hike last weekend. According to a post on the Facebook group Hike the Smokies by her friend Eleanor Hail of Knoxville, Bennett has not been seen or heard from since going on the hike and no one knows what hike she took, so her whereabouts are unknown.

Jenny Bennett (Photo provided by
Joe Guenther on Hike the Smokies)

According to the post, Bennett was supposed to meet someone at her home last Monday but never showed up. Hail said authorities had been notified. Hail noted that Bennett had mentioned she would be off the internet for a while, although she posted in her blog on May 27 about being in the Balsam Mountain area hiking. She has also mentioned that she will be moving to Vermont soon.

Her hiking friends have mentioned that she is an avid off-trail hiker. Mike Maples, an avid hiker and GoSmokies blogger, wrote, "One thing for sure, she isn't lost. She is the author of "Murder at the Jump-Off." Been hiking these mountains doing the toughest of hikes. Up the Bunion, up the Jump Off, up some of the most remote sections of the Park. Hope to hear something soon."

Bennett's brother Peter Bennett of Bozeman, Montana posted the following on GoSmokies.com:

Jenny Bennett
|Photo provided
by Joe Guenther on
Hike the Smokies)

Jenny Bennett of Sylva NC is missing. Jenny is an avid off trail hiker in the Smoky Mountains. She probably went on a hike on Saturday May 30 or Sunday May 31. She was supposed to be met at her house on Monday June 1 and was not there. She has not been seen since. Because she is an off trail hiker, it is quite possible that she was somewhere in the Smokies and had an accident. If you know Jenny and have an idea where she might have gone or if you happen to see her car ( a red Subaru I think ) please contact the Jackson County NC Sheriff as soon as possible.

I am her brother Peter Bennett and I live in Bozeman Montana.

In her most recent blog post, Bennett wrote of some physical problems and depression. "In the past couple of weeks, as I have been preparing for my move to Northern Vermont, I have been fixated on getting in one last expedition—despite the bum knee, despite the fact that I’ve allowed myself to get somewhat out of shape. I hope this doesn’t sound too personal: I absolutely believe it is the right thing to do to move to New England, mainly because I can be of assistance to my sister. At the same time, I have struggled with my loss of the Smokies. I have been dealing with depression, and have not kept up my regular exercise routine as well as I could," Bennett wrote.

Jenny Bennett (Photo by Dave Landreth)

Her hiking friends are spreading the word far and wide in hopes of getting some word on their friend and have expressed their concern that she could be injured on or off a Smokies trail.

Photo of Jenny Bennett from her blog.

The car she would have been driving, according to friends, was a red Subaru Impreza four-door like this, although some have identified her car as a Toyota Echo.

Calls to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Jackson County NC Sheriff's Department have yielded no new information as to Bennett's whereabouts or any information about her status as a missing person. If you have any information about Jenny Bennett, you may call the Jackson County NC Sheriff's Department at 828-586-8901.