Missing hiker's body found off trail in North Carolina mountains, officials say

The body of missing hiker Chad Seger has been found in “an off-trail area” at Shining Rock Wilderness Area, according to WLOS and other media outlets.

Searchers found Seger, 27, at about 3 p.m. Tuesday, the station reported. His hiking gear was nearby.

Hundreds of people from across the region have been searching for Seger since he went missing eight days earlier on Oct. 12 while hiking in a rugged area near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Seger lived in nearby Asheville.

Authorities have not released a cause of death, WSPA reported.

Seger’s body was found near the Art Loeb Trail, according to the station.

The trail is just over 30 miles and “is one of the longer and more difficult trails in the state, and it’s also one of the more popular,” according to online hiking guide HikeWNC. The trail is often used for extended backpacking trips of two to three days, the site says.

“Today over 400 personnel, countless agencies and several organizations had hand in finding my brother. I just want to thank Team 57 for being so vigilant and bringing my brother home,” Seger’s sister, Bethany Brody, posted on Facebook Tuesday.

“Chad, I love you so much. ... You will live in my heart, forever” she wrote.

Haywood County Emergency Services said the search for Seger included dogs, helicopters and teams from six N.C. counties. Search teams from Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee also joined the effort, the department said in a Facebook post.

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