TN TN - Michael Hearon, 51, Happy Valley, 23 Aug 2008

[snowme]

bumping for michael herron. any news anyone?????
bluestarzz

Hi bluestarzz, I only find this. http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090101/NEWS/301019986 "Daily Times recounts tops stories in Blount". Michael's case synopsis is the second to last paragraph on the page. Sadly, there is no new info or hope listed within. :unhappy:

 

[bluestarzz]

bumping for michael
Hunt for man resumes; search to continue today in Happy Valley

By Jessica Stith
of The Daily Times Staff
Originally published: January 14. 2009 3:01AM
Last modified: January 14. 2009 12:34AM


Emergency personnel Tuesday renewed a search in Happy Valley for 51-year-old Mike Hearon, who has been missing since Aug. 23.

Sixty-nine people arrived from multiple local agencies at 9 a.m., and 53 of them joined 11 teams to search the surrounding area of Happy Valley Loop.

Michael Edwin Hearon was last seen Aug. 23 leaving his residence on Bell Branch Road on a 4-wheeler. An extensive five-day search was conducted by authorities and emergency personnel following his disappearance. During that search, his ATV was found on Aug. 26, but Hearon was not located and no other clues to his disappearance have been found since.

During the searches in August, dozens of volunteers joined to help look for the missing contractor. On this search, only emergency personnel are participating in a more concentrated search.

Authorities from the Blount County Sheriff's Office planned this second search because foliage has cleared since their last attempt, making it easier to search the area.

Members of the Blount Special Operations Response Team (BSORT), Blount County Sheriff's Office, Alcoa Fire Department, Blount County Fire Department, Maryville Fire Department, Blount County Volunteer Rescue Squad, Rural/Metro Ambulance Service, National Park Services, Blount County Communications Center and Blount County Emergency Management Agency participated.

The searchers met at Look Rock in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where they were divided into teams and briefed. BCSO Capt. Jeff Burchfield thanked the searchers on behalf of Sheriff James Berrong, Deputy Chief Ron Dunn and the entire sheriff's office.

"Hopefully we're going to cover a lot of area through the day," Burchfield said. "What we don't cover today, we'll cover tomorrow."

Detective Mike Seratt told searchers to be careful and pay attention to their packet of information that includes different items to watch for.

"If anybody finds anything, notify your team leader," Seratt said.

The searchers then went to the Abrams Creek Ranger Station and were taken to their designated search area from there.

Each team was assigned a team leader and a sheriff's deputy. Deputy Paige Craig reminded her group that Hearon was last seen wearing a pink or maroon colored shirt, shorts and sandals. She also described the area that they would be searching.

"This is the second piece of property that he (Mike Hearon) owned," Craig said.

 

[snowme]

Thanks for that update bluestarzz. I checked to see if there was anything else out there on it and found a small addition to the article in the wee hours of the a.m.

http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090114/NEWS/301149973

They found bones in a fire pit but determined them not to be human bones. Also found a shirt but didn't believe it belonged to Michael, still investigating that.

Anyone with any information on Hearon's disappearance is encouraged to call the Blount County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at 273-5001, or the 24-hour Crime Hotline at 865-273-5200. To be eligible for any reward, individuals reporting information must be willing to give their name and contact information.

They are supposed to be back out to search, weather permitting, at 9 a.m. local time Thursday (today).

 

[Cakegirl]

Prayers going up for the family & for the searchers. I hope Michael is found soon.

Thanks for keeping us updated!

~Cakegirl

 

[cloudajo]

Yes, thanks for the updates.

 

[snowme]

Unfortunately, this latest search gave up no clues as to what happened to Michael.

http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090115/NEWS/301159989

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/jan/15/search-renewed-for-missing-man/

:banghead:

 

[bluestarzz]

bumping for michael herron, still not located
bluestarzz

 

[bluestarzz]

bumping for michael herron
bluestarzz

 

[snowme]

http://www.findmikehearon.com/

Info, updates, guestbook for Michael. Stop by, leave the family a message of support! Nothing new, unfortunately.

There is a pdf printable flyer available at the site for distribution.

ETA: The pictures that will run on the "About Mike" page are not to be missed. That man should not be missing from his family!

 

[bluestarzz]

bumping for Micheal Herron....he can not be forgotten and there is something seriosely wrong with this story !!!!!!!
bump
bluestarzz (beverly)

 

[cloudajo]

Snow, thanks for website link and Blue thanks for bumping.

This really makes me sad. What happened and where is he?

So it was a Saturday in August, around noon. He was driving back in his truck from his son’s, probably traveling north to south. He owns about 100 acres of property. Did he see something in the area on his return home (people/vehicles/smoke) that caused him to drop his truck and head out on his ATV (all terrain vehicle) to investigate further? What did he come across? Did he chase persons to Happy Valley Loop area, or was he chased? If someone else took his ATV and dropped it, wouldn’t there be fingerprints or other possible DNA left on the vehicle? There is also that Abrams Creek Campground in the area (self-registration on site, fees charged).

See attached map with notes.

 

[snowme]

Hi all,

Cloud I've wondered if there were any fingerprints (other than those expected) or what the general condition of the ATV was when found. Dents, scratches, blood, ... anything. I've not read where anything like that was ever mentioned - perhaps it did offer some clues but they've elected to hold back that info.

I've wondered if Michael was run off the road, either accidentally or on purpose. With the ATV being left on and in gear on a steep incline it makes me want to think he fell off of it backward perhaps. But why wasn't he with the ATV if it was just an accident (chased off road or not)... perhaps he hit his head and wandered off? Accident or on purpose with someone else involved perhaps that someone removed him from the scene? Just thinking out loud really.

As I always do when checking this thread, I went looking for any links for new articles or interesting comments on old articles, etc. Tonight I found this hikers forum. http://www.backpacker.com/cgi-bin/forums/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=692107219;t=9991111361;&#top

Only a handful of posts discussing this in September of last year. I know it was brought up earlier here about whether or not the area is a 'bad' place to find yourself in if you weren't a long-time or life-long local .. as well as the idea of pot being grown there (I think that was brought up here before - and forgive me if I worded that crudely, just attempting to paraphrase as quick as I'm typing.) These two thoughts are brought up and discussed briefly with one poster/hiker mentioning that he/she discussed Michael's disappearance with LE at a gathering but not on a professional fact-finding mission - just getting general gist info. I may post there just to see if any of these people who are in the area have anything else to offer up these several months later.

Forgive me if this seems scattered, I've had 92.7 interruptions since beginning this post, lol.

ETA: I have tried several times in the last hour to register to the hiker forum to post there but it just refuses to get further than checking to see if I have an account at a sister or mother site (to which I registered in the meantime to hopefully give it a kickstart). If anyone else attempts that and gets it to go thru please let me know.

 

[bluestarzz]

I do think that since it seems like he owned alot of land, rural, he saw someting and went to investigate it....found foul play
and it might have been a marajania operation...just don't know how often he visited that land. The month of August...Sept, would be harvest time. Now, I couldn't tell you if Blount Co. has copters in the air looking for these growning fields, Knox Co. sure does, cause my old house used to get "buzzed" from copers this time of year (the house backed up to a ridge".
But that is my theory....he found something on his land that was "poachers" doing something...and you have to figure what is worth a like to the low lives? drugs.........
bluestarzz

 

[bluestarzz]

typonese...sorry... like = life on previous message

 

[snowme]

hi bluestarzz, me too... considering the personal items found left on the truck seat and the mower hadn't even been unloaded it seems to me that he took off out of there on the ATV for some pressing reason as soon as he got there.

Those homegrown (in the "woods" or in the basement) operations can be worth millions. You can bet that there are plenty in that "business" who value that over a human life.

I think I recall earlier in the reading on this thread that Michael would go down to that property about once a month. That leaves alot of unattended time for someone else to utilize it and hope to be certain of his routine of when he would show up - if he did in fact have a predictable routine.

Thinking along the lines of drugs... meth making has become ridiculously popular. This would also be a good place for that type of operation. Do you have a feel for whether that area has a meth problem budding or perhaps in full bloom?

If any of these ideas are on a right track, the time between when Mike disappeared and when something was actually done about it and the property officially searched would have given someone enough time to clear out and leave little to no trace. :-(

I do think that since it seems like he owned alot of land, rural, he saw someting and went to investigate it....found foul play
and it might have been a marajania operation...just don't know how often he visited that land. The month of August...Sept, would be harvest time. Now, I couldn't tell you if Blount Co. has copters in the air looking for these growning fields, Knox Co. sure does, cause my old house used to get "buzzed" from copers this time of year (the house backed up to a ridge".
But that is my theory....he found something on his land that was "poachers" doing something...and you have to figure what is worth a like to the low lives? drugs.........
bluestarzz

 

[bluestarzz]

bumping for Michael Herron. Someone has to know something !!!!
bluestarzzz

 

[snowme]

http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/brief.cfm?id=63501

Had this been linked before? Michael has a web exclusive case file at America's Most Wanted online. Please check it out and show support/interest in his case!

 

[bluestarzz]

i had not seen that snowme. good!!!! i am glad he is on amw. how do i show support for this case on the site? i think there are so very few involved in this case other that the family and you and i and maybe one other. let me know
bluestarzzz

 

[snowme]

I think AMW keeps close track of what gets clicked on at the site. They monitor traffic to the cases to see what is drawing interest. I know for Terry & Darleen Anderson (in my signature below)... they encouraged the daughter, Sherry, who is here at WS on her Dad & Stepmom's forum to have people click thru and show interest that way. I believe it would also help to start a topic thread there at AMW forums for Michael too. Within a thread over there it lets a reader click an area to show their level of interest in a case as well. So they definitely keep tabs on what is getting noticed on the site.

Their forums are a little tricky for me to navigate so I didn't see a thread for Michael already but it could be that I just didn't find it well. I'll try again in a bit and if there isn't one I'll see if I can start one. I'll post a link either way. (wish me luck, lol)


I didn't see a thread already started for Michael so I went ahead and began one there with basic info for contacting the Blount co. sheriff and provided the link to his case file on AMW, his family's website, and a link for our thread here. I placed it in the "missing persons" folder there - if you need to look for it that way. Hope the link below works.

http://forums.amw.com/foxamw/?msg=14009

 

[bluestarzz]

there is one, you didn't find, if mods want to combne, is fine.
bumping for michael herron.
bluestarzzz