Derek Joseph Lueking - Great Smoky Mountains National Park

March 17th, 2012: a 24-year-old leaves a hotel in Cherokee, North Carolina, before dawn and drives into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Hours later, his Ford Escape is found with his wallet, keys, cash, and survival gear still inside. A short note says, “Don’t follow me.” Search teams, helicopters, K-9 units, and volunteers scour the Appalachian Trail corridor, steep drainages, and dense off-trail terrain, but find nothing. No clothing, no gear, no trace. Join us this week as we investigate the baffling disappearance of Derek Joseph Lueking.

Learn more about Locations Unknown: https://linktr.ee/LocationsUnknown

Check out our other shows on the Unknown Media Network:

Crime Off The Grid

Off The Trails

Hike N' Seek

Who Runs This Park

Relish

New Patreon Shoutouts: Gwen Picklo

Get 35% of all orders at The Hiker's Cache, the official store of Locations Unknown, by becoming a member on Patreon!

Want to help the show out and get even more Locations Unknown content!  For as little as $5 a month, you can become a Patron of Locations Unknown and get access to our episodes early, special members only episode, free swag, swag contests, and discounts to our Locations Unknown Store!  Become a Patron of the Locations Unknown Podcast by visiting our Patreon page.  (https://www.patreon.com/locationsunknown)

All our Patreon only content (Audio & Video) can now be accessed via Spotify.  (Active subscription to our Patreon channel is required.) -- Locations Unknown Subscriber Only Show | Podcast on Spotify