Texas hiker found dead after going missing in Great Smoky Mountains, family says: news

Texas Hiker Found Dead After Going Missing in Great Smoky Mountains, Family Says

A multi-day search for a missing Texas hiker has come to a tragic end after his body was recovered in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, his family confirmed.

The hiker, identified as 24-year-old Sahil Jilani of Houston, Texas, was reported missing after he was last seen around 8:00 p.m. on October 5 at the Riverstone Campground in Townsend, Tennessee. Concerns grew after rangers located his vehicle abandoned at the Abrams Falls Trailhead inside the national park on October 7, triggering a coordinated search and rescue operation.

Dive teams located Jilani’s body in the water near Abrams Falls. Jilani’s sister, Asma Jilani Bustamante, confirmed his passing on social media, describing it as a sudden, tragic accident where he became caught in powerful, hazardous currents near the waterfall.

Abrams Falls is a prominent destination within Great Smoky Mountains National Park, though park officials frequently caution hikers against swimming or entering the pool beneath the falls due to severe underwater currents and slippery hazards. Park authorities and local emergency personnel have not released further official findings as investigations conclude.