Missing hiker Alan Holt was found in the Cisco area of Murray County, Georgia, Saturday evening at 6:34 p.m. according to a report given to Fannin County Emergency Management Agency Director Robert Graham.
Fannin County Sheriff Dane Kirby said Holt walked to a road at Chable Mill and got a ride to a convenience store off Highway 411 where Murray County sheriff’s deputies picked him up. Holt’s family then picked him up from the Murray County Sheriff’s Office. Kirby said the man who had been in the woods since Wednesday, with no food, was tired but had sustained no injuries.
Graham said Holt entered the woods at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning with Johnny Scearce (not the Blue Ridge police chief). The pair was separated and Holt was reported missing at 11:35 p.m. Thursday and the search began at 7:30 a.m. Friday morning.
Multiple agencies were engaged and numerous resources were used to aid in the search. Graham estimated 30 to 40 people searching on Friday and even more looking on Saturday. Two helicopters were flown over the area – one from the Georgia State Patrol, with a forward-looking infrared camera, and another from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Among the other agencies who assisted in the search were Georgia Emergency Management Agency, Georgia Forestry Office, the U.S. Forest Service, Fannin County Sheriff, Fannin County Fire and Rescue, Fannin County Emergency Medical Services, Fannin County CERT, Georgia Appalachian Trail Club, and the Polk County, Tennessee, Sheriff’s Office. A horse mounted rescue and many concerned citizens also searched. Graham said, “We’d like the thank all the people who came out to help. We’re thankful for a good resolution.”