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Missing Knoxville man found dead after search in Great Smoky Mountains

Bryce Evans was reported missing on Aug. 1, according to the Knoxville Police Department.

Great Smoky Mountains Natl. Park — Family and friends were spreading the word about a missing 23-year-old Knoxville man last heard from on Sunday. Bryce Evans was reported missing on Aug. 1, according to the Knoxville Police Department.

Investigators learned that Evans's phone last pinged in North Carolina near the Cherokee area.

On Friday, rangers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park said they had begun searching the Smokies for Evans after finding his vehicle Thursday night. The GSMNP said the search continued Friday morning in the Balsam Mountain area of the park.

Later on Friday, park rangers said he was found dead in a section of the park near Balsam Mountain, North Carolina. They said he was found around 20 yards off the train, around 1 and a half miles from the Balsam Mountain Trailhead parking area, at around 11:15 a.m.

No one heard from Evans since July 31 around 1 p.m. Evans told his sister he was going to work out at the TRECS Gym on UT's campus and that he might drive to Charlotte after, KPD said. 

There is no record of Evans' card being used at the TRECS Gym, and he did not sign in for his internship at the University of North Carolina, according to KPD.  

The police report said Evans is approximately 6'0 and 190 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes, however, there have been conflicting details shared on social media that say Evans is closer to 6'3. 

URGENT: A family friend has gone missing while traveling across western NC from Knoxville, TN back to Charlotte,...

Posted by Senator Chuck Edwards on Wednesday, August 3, 2022

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