A Bledsoe County, Tenn., man reported missing Thursday night was found dead in the woods not far from the spot he was last seen, authorities said.A Bledsoe County, Tenn., man reported missing Thursday night was found dead in the woods not far from the spot he was last seen, authorities said.
Bledsoe County authorities and family and friends searched wooded areas on Dayton Mountain near state Highway 30 and Porch Rock Road after 45-year-old Darrell Smith’s family reporting he had been missing since Thursday afternoon, according to Bledsoe County dispatchers and Sheriff’s Detective Ricky Seals.
Seals said Friday that Smith’s body was found about 100 yards from where he was dropped off around 8:30 a.m. CDT Thursday as he headed out to hunt ginseng. Smith’s body has been sent to Nashville for an autopsy, but Seals said officials do not suspect foul play.
Family members said Smith had water and food on Thursday, but they didn’t know how much he was carrying, according to dispatchers.
Dispatchers said searchers tried several times to locate Smith through his cellphone but were unsuccessful.