Missing Smokies Visitor Found Safe After Multi-Day Search

A visitor reported missing in Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been found safe, ending a multi-day search that expanded beyond the park and drew help from numerous agencies and volunteers.

The National Park Service said Marcin Bachleda-Blaszczak was confirmed safe Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 1, in North Carolina outside the national park. Officials did not release further details about where he was located or the circumstances that led searchers to him.

Bachleda-Blaszczak had been reported missing to park dispatch on the evening of Aug. 24. His vehicle was later located in the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking lot, and investigators said his last known location was that parking area on Aug. 22.

The search grew over several days. Park rangers worked with volunteers and partner agencies as teams searched within the park boundary and investigators followed leads beyond it. At one point, the National Park Service said 57 people were assigned to the operation.

Officials also asked the public to share the missing-person notice and submit possible sightings. In announcing the safe outcome, the park thanked those who provided tips, spread the word and assisted in the field.

The park said the incident remains under investigation and that no additional information was available. That means the confirmed-safe announcement should replace earlier public notices that described Bachleda-Blaszczak as missing or asked visitors to look for him.

The National Park Service’s Sept. 1 update provides the definitive status: the search has ended, Bachleda-Blaszczak is safe, and the remaining questions are part of an ongoing investigation rather than an active missing-person case.