Mike Hearon’s Puzzling Disappearance: Into the Woods

Mike Hearon disappeared while on his Tennessee farm property in August 2008. Very few clues were left behind. What happened to him that rainy August afternoon?

The Great Smoky Mountains Park straddles both Tennessee and North Carolina and was established in 1934. The park encompasses over 500,000 acres of mountains, rivers, forests, caves, and waterfalls and is the most visited park in the United States, with over 10 million people visiting each year. Many species of animals make the park their home, including elk, black bears, bobcats, coyotes, and deer, among many more. Several indigenous tribes made the mountains their home. The Cherokee word for the area is Shaconage—the “place of blue smoke.”

The Great Smoky Mountains get their name from the characteristic fog or “smoke” that often blankets the landscape, especially in the early mornings and after rainfall. This phenomenon is a result of the high humidity in the region, combined with the dense forests of evergreen and deciduous trees. The moisture from the plants evaporates into the air, and when it encounters cooler temperatures at higher altitudes, it condenses into mist or fog. This mist creates the appearance of smoke hanging over the mountains, giving them their distinctive and mysterious aura.

Park Disappearances

The Smoky Mountains do not give up their secrets easily or quickly. The National Park Service does not keep a record of how many people go missing in their parks each year. According to WATE-TV in Knoxville, TN, a total of 11 people died in the park in 2022.¹https://www.wate.com/news/smoky-mountains/how-many-people-go-missing-in-the-great-smoky-mountains-national-park Investigator and writer David Paulides has written several books about park disappearances all over the country in his Missing 411 series.

Over the years, there have been several high-profile disappearances from Smoky Mountains Park. Some of those include Trenny Lynn Gibson, a teenager who seemingly vanished into thin air while on a school field trip to the park. Dennis Martin, a 6-year-old boy who was on a camping trip with his family, and Thelma Melton, a Florida woman who walked ahead of friends on a hiking trail and was never seen again.

Who is Mike Hearon?

In addition to the millions of visitors, there are many people who live and work around the park. One of these people is Michael “Mike” Hearon. In 2008, Mike was a 51-year-old father of two adult sons who owned a successful construction business. He was a social person with a big laugh. His sons describe him as “very animated” and able to get along with most people. He owned a condo in Maryville and 100 acres in Tallassee, about 20 miles away. His acreage was in an area known as Happy Valley and was adjacent to the boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He spent his weekends working on his farm, tending to his cattle and chickens. He knew the area well, having grown up there.

Happy Valley, like its name suggests, is protected by mountains on all sides. It is a small community located near the Appalachian Mountains. The area is characterized by its lush, green landscapes and rolling hills. It is rural, with a mix of dense forests and farmland.

The Day it Happened

Around 11:00 AM Saturday, August 23, 2008, neighbors saw Mike pull into his farm property. Reports differ, but somewhere between fifteen and thirty minutes later, neighbors saw him leave his property driving his green Yamaha Wolverine ATV. Mike waved at them as he drove down one-lane Bell Branch Road. What happened to Mike after that sighting is still unknown over a decade later. He vanished without a trace, never to be seen again.

Earlier that morning, Mike spoke with his oldest son, Andy, and left a message for his youngest son Matt. He was going to cut down some trees and mow the lawn at his Happy Valley property. He swung by Andy’s house to pick up a lawnmower the three shared. Mike and Andy passed each other as Mike was driving away.

Mike relied on a landline at his farm to stay in touch with friends and family, as cell service was unavailable on the mountain. His parents lived next to his Happy Valley property, so whenever he was at the farm, he would inform them and usually make a point to visit.

A Mother’s Worry Grows

Mike’s mother, Alma, called Matt on the afternoon of Sunday, August 24th, to let him know that neither she nor Verl, Mike’s father, had been able to get in touch with him that weekend. They had tried calling him but got to answer. They had walked the 5 minutes or so to Mike’s house and knocked on the door. There was no answer. They saw his truck, trailer, and mower still parked in the driveway. It didn’t seem as if the mower had ever been unloaded off the trailer.

Neither of his sons initially took their grandmother’s worries seriously. They both figured that Mike was off in the woods, hunting or just exploring, and had lost track of time. It made sense to them that he didn’t answer his phone and that the calls were going straight to voicemail.

The Search Starts

On Monday morning, August 25^th, Alma again called the men to let them know Mike was still unreachable. She communicated her fears that something was wrong. Andy and Matt, starting to get worried themselves, agreed to make the drive to Happy Valley to check things out. They started their search at Mike’s Maryville condo, not noticing anything amiss. The only thing missing was the truck they knew Mike had driven to Happy Valley.

When the two men arrived at the farm, they found Mike’s truck parked in the driveway, but it was as if he had just pulled in, jumped out, and never returned to the vehicle. Mike permitted a school bus to park on his property, but his truck was positioned where it obstructed the bus’s parking area. The windows were rolled down in Mike’s truck, and inside were his keys, cell phone, and wallet. Cash was still inside his wallet, and none of his cards or license was missing. Some reports state that his gun was also left in the vehicle.

Matt and Andy grew more concerned as they searched. They drove around on their father’s older ATV, looking for any sign of their dad. At this point, their main concern was that their father had been injured in an ATV accident and was possibly unconscious somewhere out in the woods. They were familiar with the trails Mike used, so they thought they’d be able to find him relatively quickly. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Police were notified around 4:00 that Monday afternoon.

Rain Moves In

The Blount County Sheriff’s Office began arriving at the property around 6:00 that evening. Less than an hour in, however, rain began to fall. The area was pelted with heavy rain for several days. This may have erased any tracks and hampered any hits the search dogs may have had. Despite the rain, the search started again the next day, with over 100 people in attendance. Members of the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, National Park Service, Tennessee Wildlife Agency, and the Blount County Fire Department, among many others, pitched in to assist. Searches for Mike continued on for days, with searchers scouring heavy underbrush and densely forested areas in the August heat.

Assistant Chief Deputy Jimmy Long told the Knoxville News-Sentinel on August 29, 2008, that about 400 acres had been searched, some of it more than once, along with 50 miles of trails.

Grady Whitehead, one of Mike’s neighbors who had known him since he was born, also searched. He was an experienced searcher, having been involved in most of the major search operations during his 30+ year tenure as a park ranger in the GSMP. “Successful tracking is a matter of reading these signs, such as bent weeds, bushes, and footprints.” Whitehead told the Knoxville News-Sentinel, days after Mike disappeared. “Large numbers of searchers and ATV’s can destroy tracking signs.” Mr. Whitehead passed away in December 2016.

One Discovery in the Woods

The only thing ever found in the searches for Mike Hearon was his missing ATV. It was discovered around noon on Tuesday, August 26th,by a family friend. It had been seemingly pushed down a steep hill into thick brush. The battery was nearly drained, but there was still gas in it. It was found in high gear; the ignition switch turned to “on” and the kill switch turned to “off.” The location was in between Mike’s property and that of his neighbors. It was about a mile from Mike’s farm, mere steps from the GSMNP boundary. Andy and Matt said the area was not one his father usually went to, and they couldn’t understand why he would have willingly driven there.

It’s like a nightmare, but one that when you wake up, it is still happening for real. But we won’t give up.” Alma the Knoxville News Sentinel in 2009

Searches continued for Mike, with the family holding an annual “Hike for Mike” to bring awareness to his disappearance. “I’ve looked in every hole and cave in Happy Valley.” Mike’s father, Verl Hearon, told the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Four years in, the many searches yielding nothing—no footprints, no bits of torn clothing, no obvious trail through the undergrowth, no blood, tissue, or bones. ² https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/aug/27/missing-man-still-mystery-4-years-after/

Theories Run Wild

Since barely anything of Mike Hearon was ever found, theories run the gamut. Some of the wilder theories include aliens, Bigfoot, and even feral people. More practical theories, such as suicide, were ruled out early. Mike’s family insisted that he had no reason to end his life. His financial and business records were searched. No evidence of any illegal activity was ever found. There is no direct evidence of foul play, but also no evidence against it. There simply isn’t much evidence at all. “We know everything there is to know about Mike Hearon – except where he is,” Sheriff Jim Berrong said.

“I’ve never seen such a high-profile case with so few clues.” – Sheriff Jim Berrong to the Knoxville News Sentinel

Mike’s property is on Bell Branch Road, which is the only main road that accesses Happy Valley. Neighboring his property is a 40-acre tract owned by Christian missionaries who spent most of their time out of the country. Mike had an agreement with them and would mow part of their property for hay to feed his cattle. One theory is that Mike happened upon some kind of illegal activity at this or another property and was killed. “If he saw someone breaking into a house or trespassing, he would not have hesitated to confront them,” Matt Hearon said. “He was strong man, tough as nails, and he wasn’t afraid of anything.”³Balloch, Jim. 2009

Mike Hearon’s Family still Waits

Mike’s father, Verl Hearon, passed away in 2022 at age 92. Andy and Matt have gone on to have families of their own, both giving their sons the same middle name—Michael—in honor of their father. Mike had looked forward to being a grandfather, even jokingly gifting Matt’s wife Jamey a pregnancy test for their wedding. “I don’t think he is still alive,” Matt Hearon said, “or he would have gotten back by now.”

If you have any information about the 2008 disappearance of Mike” Hearon, please contact the Blount County Sheriff at 865-273-5001 or the crime tip hot line at 865-273-5200. There is currently a $35,000 reward for information in this case.