Dog found as search for missing NC hiker continues in Tennessee, officials say

Search crews found a dog belonging to a North Carolina hiker missing in Tennessee, but as of Friday morning, there’s still no sign of the man himself.

Curtis Dustin Williams went missing in the Pocket Wilderness area in Rhea County, McClatchy News previously reported. He was last seen Monday, recording a Facebook Live video of himself and his dog at Buzzard Point around 3:30 p.m.

He was wearing a maroon shirt, shorts and a North Carolina hat, McClatchy reported. Multiple agencies have joined together, searching by ground and air, deploying helicopters, planes and drones.

With the fourth day of searching underway, authorities remain optimistic that Williams, described as an “avid hiker,” will be found alive, WRCB reported.

“He know the woods, he knows survival,” Rocky Potter, Rhea County Sheriff’s Department investigator, told the station.

The dog was found in a field Thursday afternoon, WTVC reported, and returned to Williams’ family.

Finding the pet could bring authorities much closer to finding Williams, the outlet reported. K-9s have been brought in to follow the dog’s path, in hopes it will lead back to Williams.

The search area has been narrowed, Potter told WRCB.

“We have a cornered area that we believe the dog was in,” Potter said. “We got an area that we know we can work.”

Anyone with helpful information is encouraged to call the Rhea County Sheriff’s Department at 423-775-7837, or just dial 911.