Memorial planned for Texas law professor who vanished while hiking North Georgia mountains
Nearly 10 months after a Texas law professor disappeared while hiking on a trail in North Georgia, his family is planning a memorial service in Dallas as questions about what happened to him remain unanswered.
The service for Charles Hosch will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at University Park United Methodist Church. People can attend in person or watch through a livestream, according to an announcement from the Bring Charles Home Facebook group.
The family will also greet friends at the church from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18.
"Our family is so grateful for the incredible support we have received these past months," the family wrote. "Thank you all."
Hosch, a 67-year-old Dallas attorney and Southern Methodist University law professor, disappeared Nov. 11, 2025, after setting out from the Byron Herbert Reece Trail in Union County. He grew up in Gainesville and was visiting relatives in Georgia when he went hiking on a trail he had known since childhood.
Two witnesses reported seeing Hosch descending the Appalachian Trail near the top of Blood Mountain. He has not been seen since.
Union County crews searched the mountain for about two weeks before suspending full-time operations Nov. 24 as they waited for new information. Hosch's family then organized private searches involving volunteers, K-9 teams, drones and search-and-rescue groups from across the Southeast.
A four-day search in March brought teams from several states back to Blood Mountain, but they did not find Hosch. In April, the family said thick foliage and dense rhododendron had made the rugged terrain even more difficult to search. Ralph Pyeatt of the Search and Rescue Tracking Institute spent seven days searching the mountain during that period, according to the family.
Authorities and search teams have reported finding no confirmed trace of Hosch or the items he had with him.
Authorities have reported finding no indication of foul play.
