Derek Lueking, 24, was last seen on surveillance video leaving a Microtel Inn in Cherokee, North Carolina in the early morning hours of March 17, 2012. Concern began when he failed to show up for work in Tennessee and did not answer his phone; family members traced him to the area after finding a hotel reservation and searches on his computer for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Derek’s white Ford Escape was found in the Newfound Gap parking lot, where the Appalachian Trail crosses the road. He had recently bought over a thousand dollars’ worth of camping and survival gear, but much of that equipment remained in the vehicle; he left the park with only a small daypack. A large search by the National Park Service using dog teams and helicopters turned up no sign of him.

Friends and family described him as an avid camper and a fan of a survival show; some have suggested he may have gone into the backcountry deliberately, while others say he did not show signs of severe depression. The case remains unresolved. If anyone saw Derek in the Cherokee or Great Smoky Mountains area in mid-March 2012 or has information about his movements after leaving the Microtel, please come forward.