A Baton Rouge hiker, Clinton Preston Smith, has been found at Buffalo National River in Arkansas.
Smith was found near Horseshoe Bend around noon today by search and rescue workers. According to the park’s Facebook page, Smith was in good spirits and brought to Kyle’s Landing by his rescuers.
He left for his hike along the Hemmed-in-Hollow trail at the national park on Oct. 27 and was reported missing by his family on Friday, Oct. 28.
“He was due home Friday and so we knew something was wrong when he didn’t come home…” Smith’s niece Natalie Lyons said.
She said he typically hikes with his sister-in-law but due to an illness in the family, he began this hike alone.
“It’s the one time she didn’t go with Uncle Preston,” Lyons said.
Ground teams from Newton County Sheriff’s Office and the Buffalo National River Search and Rescue volunteers searched for Smith in addition to helicopter surveillance of the Ponca Wilderness.
The search parties also had used hounds and drones to look for Smith before the four day search concluded.
Locals in the area searched their property for the Baton Rouge hiker and volunteers used canoes to look through the river.
His vehicle was previously found on the Hemmed-in-Hollow trailhead and Lyons believes his phone is probably dead.
“He is notorious for not charging his phone, which is why he probably couldn’t call because his phone was more than likely already dead when whatever happened happened,” Lyons said.
More information from the search for Smith can be found at the Buffalo National River Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/buffnatlriver.
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