The family of Dallas lawyer and SMU professor Charles Hosch plans to continue searching for him although a major effort on March 14 and 15 ended without success.
Hosch went missing in Georgia four months ago. The weekend’s search team included Knox County Search and Rescue, Morgan County Search and Rescue, BUSAR, individual members of Christian Aid Ministry, and K-9 teams led by Dr. Tracy (Trace) Sargent and Allan and Karen Padgett.
“The professionalism, determination, and heart these teams bring to this mountain — again and again — moves us beyond words. We closed this weekend without finding Charles. However, coming weeks will bring new efforts; we will share more as those efforts take shape,” a post on a website set up to provide updates on the search reads. “But even in our sadness, as this is not the outcome we hoped for, we still want to take a moment to express continued gratitude. First, to those who joined us on the mountain this weekend, thank you. We have come to understand that the search and rescue teams combing this mountain are not only searching for Charles. They are searching for us, too — to give us something to hold onto, whatever form that may take. We are grateful for that gift in ways we cannot fully articulate.”
Hosch, who co-founded the law firm Hosch & Morris and was an adjunct faculty member at SMU’s Dedman School of Law, went missing on Nov. 11 after heading out for a hike on the Byron Herbert Reece Trail near Blood Mountain in Union County, according to a post on the law firm’s website. He’s described as 6 feet 1 inch tall, and as weighing around 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing khaki pants, a camel-colored sweater and a dark green jacket, according to the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
Although the Union County Sheriff’s Office paused its active search operations on Nov. 25 pending additional information or clues, search efforts have continued.
“Search teams continue to hike every weekend, and we continue to narrow down areas,” Charles’ daughter, Julia, recently told People Newspapers.
Neighborhood Spotlight
Park Cities
Where the Park Cities Stay Connected.
Prior to founding Hosch & Morris in 2019, Charles spent 35 years at Strasburger & Price. He has taught at SMU’s Dedman School of Law since 1991.
