The first known murder on the Appalachian Trail took place in 1974. On Saturday, May 11, GBI special agent Stanley L. Thompson was woken and headed with the Sheriff to the Low Gap Shelter to investigate. He was questioned and said that he was from Loris, South Carolina, which was not true. The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost 2,200 miles (3,540 km) between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states. 2001: Louise Chaput from Quebec was killed by an unknown assailant with unknown motives. AUGUSTA, Maine -- An Appalachian Trail hiker whose remains were discovered last year survived at least 26 days after getting lost, kept a journal of her ordeal and ultimately resigned herself. They hitched a ride to Clevelands Trailways station where Margaret asked the man at the counter for a ticket to Columbia, via Atlanta first. We asked the Appalachian Trail Conservancy: The Appalachian Trail (A.T.) is a relatively safe place, but it is not immune from crime or insulated against the problems of larger society. On September 12, 1990, Geoff and Molly headed back onto the trail making it as far as the Thelma Marks Shelter, near the top of Cove Mountain. Joel Polson was hiking with a woman named Margaret McFaddin when they stopped to spend the night at Low Gap Shelter. I Quit my job, and left to. Janice Balza was sitting at a campfire at the Vandeventer shelter when she was murdered with a hatchet by a former mental patient named Paul Bigley, who supposedly coveted her backpack.. The prosecutor who led the prosecution against Smith during his trial, along with an acquaintance of Smith's, theorized that Smith, through his virtual lack of inexperience of women, became romantically obsessed with Ramsay because she was friendly to him when they met in a store along the trail. Geraldine, also known as Gerry or Inchworm on the trail was a 66-year-old retired air force nurse from Tennessee who set out one summer to thru-hike the AT by herself. Smith was taken back to Virginia by police and charged with two counts of murder. Then out of the blue, the man stood up and smacked his hand against his thigh to wake the sleeping dog, saying, Come on, boy. The AT/Hotel Trail Loop in the Mount Pleasant National Scenic Area is 7.5 miles long. He balanced Joels watch on a log so that she could read its face, then walked off. The Appalachian Trail community was shocked when one hiker was killed and another critically wounded in a recent pre-dawn attack on the trail. He began his trek early in the season, figuring hed average a slower pace than most due to knee and shoulder injuries. When hikers take on the Appalachian Trail - either in part or the entire 2,180-mile (3508-km) route - they will often take on a trail name. When they arrived at the road, within a few minutes, a young woman pulled over and offered them a lift. On November 15, 2001, she left her home in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, and drove towards Mount Washington to hike some of the Appalachian Trail. Ralph, he replied. Murder is sadly a common, everyday occurence in civilized society. They were real reluctant to just talk to him. Hiking with a partner is always recommended for safety purposes. The murders sent paroxysms of terror up and down the 2,144-mile trail. Really? Get epic tips, guides and how-to's in your inbox every two weeks. A Massachusetts man faces a murder charge for allegedly attacking two hikers on the Appalachian Trail with a machete, leaving one dead and the . They each drank a Bud Light but didn't offer the stranger one. Although you are still more likely to run into problems on the trail because of inclement weather or slipping and falling, violent crime on the trails is not an uncommon occurrence. In October 1969, he was recaptured in Miami and returned to the Michigan State Prison. After returning to the States, he embraced his love for nature and took on the Appalachian Trail. Stonewall Jackson died as a result of friendly fire in 1863 across the border in Clarksburg, West Virginia. Molly was face down in a pool of blood, with her hands tied behind her back, and Geoff was partially naked with a white shirt in his hand. Police issued a nationwide alert and two days later, he was arrested in Skagit County, Washington, as he tried to break into a parked car. Sean then turned and ran toward his Jeep Cherokee, 20 feet away, and parked on the other side of Johnston's pickup, seemingly oblivious he had been injured by the bullet. Joe McConaughy completed the trail northbound on August 31, 2017, in 45 days, 12 hours, and 15 minutes. The night passed uneventfully, and Joel woke Margaret, urging her to get moving. They were murdered by Randall Lee Smith while staying at the Wapiti Shelter. The FBI spent five years and a reported $24 million searching for Rudolph and turned up empty-handed. The trail climbed steadily, unmercifully, and burdened by their overloaded external-frame packs, the unseasoned hikers felt every foot. Ralph Fox was eventually arrested for the murder. He planned to hike the entire Appalachian Trail and tried to get Margaret to join him on the trip. At one point the Jeep hit an embankment and nearly flipped, but the two kept on despite the fact that they had been shot. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail. A man had been seen in the area near the site of the murders that had been seen carrying two red Marlborough gym bags. The Forest Service Says "Yes", "Wheelchair-accessible paths on the Appalachian Trail", "What's In Your Pack? The ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy) and NPS (U.S. National Park Service) say heart attacks or other health-related issues are the leading cause of death while hiking on the trail. He stopped her by a tree, told her to sit on the ground, pulled her legs around the tree, and tied her feet together. The motive for her murder is unknown, and her killer is still at large. Sean Farmer arrived at the campground at 4 pm and was setting up his tent at 5 pm when the dog and stranger walked in. The last time anyone had seen or heard from him was around July 31st when he climbed The Priest, a 4,063-foot mountain in Nelson County, Virginia, and the Appalachian Trail crosses it. Appalachian Trail, 2011. At a restaurant next door, they bought food and beer and brought them back to the room, and watched an Elvis Presley movie on the TV. The Appalachian Trail has actually been the site of numerous murders and other gruesome deaths over the years. Details: On May 19, 1996, twenty-four-year-old Julianne Williams of St. Around 8.30 pm, the camp started to get dark and Johnston and Farmer, each privately wondered why the visitor was staying so long as he had mentioned to them his campsite was an hour away. 1. Brenner went on to become a leading advocate for Anti-Gay violence. After thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, Chris Cage created Greenbelly to provide fast, filling and balanced meals to backpackers. A gaunt, frail stranger, with a white beard, wearing camouflage clothing and expensive-looking boots, walked into Sean Farmer, 33, and Scott Johnston's, 38, campsite with his hungry dog, around 5 pm on May 6, 2008. Then Margaret went to bed and actually slept through with Ralph in a chair with the gun. Mountford and Ramsay had been seen with Smith and he told other hikers that he knew what had happened to them. Laura Susan Ramsay and Robert Mountford Jr. Laura Susan Su Su Ramsay , 27 and Robert Mountford Jr. , 27, were hiking the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. An autopsy determined that the murders occurred sometime before dawn. The Appalachian Trail - A Journey of the Soul Outdoor Adventures 73.8K subscribers 1.3M views 2 years ago #AppalachianTrail In 2019 I made a major change in my life. Shenandoah National Park Murders 25 Years Later. . Geoff was shot 3 times at around 4 feet, with a .22 caliber pistol, to the head, back, and abdomen. Her body was found on Thanksgiving Day with multiple stab wounds. In the meantime, the stranger had driven off in Johnston's truck, but a state police trooper alerted to the shootings, saw the vehicle, and gave chase. At 8:30 pm Smith finally said he was leaving. The story also gives perceptive to the way people live and along the Appalachian Trail. The clerk at the visitors center recommended the Lost Pond Trail on route 16, a short trail, that started nearby. She tried to text her husband many times, but the text wouldnt send because of no cell service. At 17, he was arrested for car theft, and at 18, arrested again, for breaking and entering. The number of thru-hikes per year is around 800-900 per year. The three shared dinner and conversed for hours. Smith was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and served 15 years of a 30-year sentence before being released for good behavior on mandatory parole. 9 out of 10 hikers start in Georgia and head north. Chris also wrote How to Hike the Appalachian Trail. He told Margaret that if she wanted to keep a memento of Joel, she was welcome to go through his pack. The novel Murder on the Appalachian Trail (1985), by Jess Carr, is a fictionalized account of the 1981 murders. He admitted owning the gun, which he said hed bought on a Florida beach but it was later matched to the bullet taken from Joels head. At this point, Jordan began stabbing him in the upper torso, as the woman looked on. 5 reviews This book is based on an actual double homicide and the trial of the man accused. Tennesse authorities said that Bigley surrendered to the Carter County sheriff after calling in at a nearby house owned by Mrs. Ethel Whitehead and confessed that he killed Janice as she sat near his campfire at the shelter on the Appalachian Trail. As he hit the dirt road leading out, Johnston stepped out of the woods and into the road and he was picked up. Another theory was that Smith was motivated to attack Mountford and Ramsay because they, as social workers, saw how troubled he was and tried to draw him out, provoking anger and murder instead. Two days later on November 22, around Thanksgiving, hikers would find Louises body. https://www.greenbelly.co/pages/appalachian-trail-murders#:~:text=The%20book%20Murder%20on%20the,for%20troubled%20adolescents%20in%20Maine. Camaraderie governs life along America's most famous path; as many as 4 million people hike some portion of it in any. Smith made efforts to conceal evidence of the murders. Mountford had been shot three times in the face, while Ramsay was stabbed repeatedly with a long nail. Here they called 911 to report the stabbings. He was tried in Lapeer that November and Ralph denied the murder charge. The killer was never found. The A.T. is marked for daylight travel in both directions using a system of white "blazes," or a rectangle of white paint 2 inches wide and 6 inches high. There really is no NEW information on crime statistics, because there hasn't been a murder on the trail in a long time. He also said he had a master's degree in engineering from Virginia Tech. He jumped into the Jeep, grabbed his keys from the console, and started the engine. She was transported to a nearby medical center in Bristol, Tennessee. Geo resource failed to load. On his way back from the store, he saw a hungry dog, so he stopped the truck. When Sanchez Jr. fell to the ground covered in blood from the knife attack, the female hiker attempted to run away, with Jordan in pursuit. Sanchez Jr. The man introduced himself as Ricky Williams of Newport, another lie. Note this is about the hiking trail- not Appalachia in general. Read more: The unsolved Williams and Winans camping murders in Shenandoah National Park. The deputies found blood on Jordans clothes and arrested him. From unpredictable weather to animal encounters, to dehydration to infections, theres a slew of threats hikers should always keep at least one eye out for. On November 19, 2001, Louise failed to return home and her partner reported her missing. He retrieved a trail map from Joels pack and was surprised to find that the next road crossing was less than three miles away. The first known murder on the Appalachian Trail took place in 1974. However, there have only been ten murders along the Appalachian Trail since the early 1970s. Emerson was a fast hiker, so Hilton soon fell behind and she continued her ascent alone. Authorities charged Paul Bigley with the crime. Robert Mountford Jr. and Laura Susan Ramsay, both murdered in 1981 on the AT. Karel Sabbe completed the trail northbound on August 29, 2018, in 41 days, 7 hours, and 39 minutes. She left it as it was. Myron Avery was reportedly the first person to section hike the trail. An arrest was announced Sunday after a machete attack on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia left one man dead and a woman seriously injured. The Appalachian Trail or A.T. is an iconic hiking trail in the Eastern United States, that is said to be the longest in the world. He didnt like to be around people, wouldnt even go to the grocery store in the daytime. James Jordan ran, his feet pounding the dirt, his hunting knife ready. James Jordan is accused of killing one hiker, attacking another and threatening two more. The area is in the Mount Pleasant Special Management Area. That came after Dog the Bounty Hunter tweeted about needing help near the Appalachian . The Appalachian Trail spans 14 states. In this post, were taking a deeper look into such dark encounters, along with sharing tips on how to stay safe while out on the trail. 43-year-old Ronald Sanchez spent 16 years in the Army and served three tours in Iraq. James Louis Jordan, 30, approached a group of four hikers, somewhere in Jefferson National Forest in western Virginia, on the evening of May 10, 2019. James L. Jordan has been charged with murder and assault with intent to commit murder after a bloody attack early Saturday morning on the Appalachian Trail. By May 10th, hed made it to southern VA, where he camped alongside three other hikers in Wythe county. Lilly was a 30-year-old SOBO hikerwho began his journey in Maryland and was planning to end at Springer Mountain. After Jordan left the scene, the female hiker got up and continued to run down the trail, eventually coming upon some other campers who were just off the trail, who then helped her hike six more miles to a trailhead. About a week later, on March 5, 1992, police were called to a muddy field in rural Lapeer, where they recovered the strangled, nude body of 29-year-old Diane Good from Detroit. It was used by hunters and herders in times gone by. https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/true-crime-in-the-outdoors/2020/5/4/scott-lilly-unsolved-murders-on-the-appalachian-trail, https://medium.com/true-crime-addiction/true-crime-murder-on-mount-isolation-8a89ff71dfc9, https://www.pennlive.com/life/2019/05/fatal-appalachian-trail-attack-resurrects-memories-of-double-murder-on-the-trail-in-pennsylvania.html, https://medium.com/true-crime-addiction/true-crime-murder-on-cove-mountain-b7f52a3b542d, https://www.outsideonline.com/2011326/murder-appalachian-trail, https://www.wistv.com/story/5842730/appalachian-trail-killer-to-be-resentenced/, https://mpora.com/outsiders/the-gruesome-truth-behind-those-murders-on-americas-famous-appalachian-hiking-trail/, https://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/Randall_Lee_Smith, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8224118/janice-balza/, https://www.outsideonline.com/2359316/appalachian-trail-shelter-first-murder-1974, https://scnow.com/lifestyles/pair-encounters-killer-lives-to-tell-about-it/article_5c9de749-d8bb-5031-bcc9-e781a6639e58.html, Tagged: Murder on the Appalachian Trail, Appalachian Trail Murders, What is the Appalachian Trail (the AT)?, Ronald S. Sanchez Jr murder, James jordan Appalachian trail, Scott Lilly murder, Louise Chaput, Lost Pond Trail murder, Geoffrey Hood and Molly LaRue murders appalachian trail, Paul David Crews murders, Robert Mountford Jr. and Laura Susan Ramsay murders, Randall Lee Smith serial killer, Janice Balza Vandeventer Shelter murder, Joel Polson, Low Gap Shelter murder, Ralph Fox appalachian trail murder, Scott Johnston and Sean Farmer attempted murder, Exclusive members-only articles on StrangeOutdoors.com, The miraculous escape of the Brazilian and German backpackers at Salt Creek in South Australia, Robert Hansen Butcher Baker - the Alaska Serial killer who hunted his victims in the wilderness, The unsolved Williams and Winans camping murders in Shenandoah National Park, James Jordan - The Appalachian Trail Murderer, Scott Lilly - unsolved murders on the Appalachian trail, Geoffrey Hood and Molly LaRue murders appalachian trail, Robert Mountford Jr. and Laura Susan Ramsay murders, Scott Johnston and Sean Farmer attempted murder, The horrific rape and murder of Sophie Louise Hook whilst camping in her Uncle's garden, The miracle rescue of Alan Lee Phillips at Colorados Guanella Pass - the man who turned out to be a serial killer, The chilling story of Thomas Lee Dillon - the Ohio Outdoorsmen killer, The shocking unsolved Keddie Cabin murders, The disturbing death of Fiona Torbet in the Scottish highlands, The real Wolf Creek - The Backpacker Murders in the Australian Outback, The disturbing story of David Shearing and the Wells Gray Park camping murders, The mysterious death of Carol Laughlin in Yosemite National Park, The frightening case of the Trailside Killer David Carpenter, The mysterious Koh Tao - Death Island in Paradise, The Yosemite National Park Sightseer Murders and the two faces of evil, The disturbing disappearance of the Beaumont children on Glenelg Beach, The Kamloops Triangle - The British Columbia murders and disappearances, The Delphi hiking murders - Abigail Williams and Liberty German, The Peter Falconio disappearance in the Australian Outback, The unsolved murder of Scott Lilly on the Appalachian trail, The disturbing case of James Jordan - The Appalachian Trail Murderer. In 1974, Joel Polson was murdered in Chattahoochee National Forest, Georgia. It was a three-sided lean-to, around 30 feet from the trail, surrounded by trees. She hadnt intentionally exercised a day in her life and the long hike didnt sound like fun. The body was identified by the F.B.I.