Tragic news out of Great Smoky Mountains National Park where 21-year-old Ryan Lakes was found deceased in the Big Creek area at approximately 2:45pm on September 21st.
Lakes was last seen in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 19th. His vehicle was located in the Big Creek area of the park on September 120th. Park rangers, assisted by local agencies, conducted an initial search on September 20th and continued efforts on September 21st. The press release from Great Smoky Mountains National Park is available below.
Our thoughts and condolences are with the friends and family of Ryan Lakes at this time.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Press Release:
Ryan Lakes was found deceased at approximately 2:45 p.m. on September 21 in the Big Creek area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Lakes, age 21, was last seen Thursday, Sept. 18 in Nashville, TN and his vehicle was found in the Big Creek area of the park on Sept. 20. Park rangers and local agencies completed an initial search on Sept. 20 and continued search efforts on Sept. 21. Â
The NPS thanks several organizations that assisted with this search:
- Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
- Cocke County Sheriff’s Office.
- Haywood County Sheriffs Office.
- U.S. Forest Service.
- Rhea County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit.
- Bradley County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit.
- BUSAR Search and Rescue.
Please respect the privacy of the family during this difficult time.Â
