GSMNP - About 20 Great Smoky Mountains National Park employees are continuing the search for 16-year-old Andrew Amburgy from Cedar Grove, Indiana, which began last night at around 5:30 p.m. Andrew was reported lost after he became separated from his father and two siblings while they were hiking the Laurel Falls Trail, about 8 miles from Gatlinburg, TN.

Eight Smokies personnel worked the search area throughout the night hiking Laurel Falls Trail and the adjoining trails while others were posted at key connection points at the junctions to Cove Mountain Trail and Little Greenbrier Trail. After failing to contact Andrew overnight, rangers suspect that Andrew is off the trail and are concerned about a possibility of a fall or other injury.

This morning an additional 11 people were added to the search. These individuals have been divided into two person tracking teams and assigned to a sector of trail where they will work to see if there is any evidence of Rew leaving the trail.

At this point search managers have decided not to use tracking dogs because it would require removal of all ground searchers from the area while the dog covered the trail mileage which would unacceptably delay the search activity. Park managers also have arranged a helicopter for their use but at this point the weather forecast makes it less likely that the aircraft can be used because of current weather conditions of low ceilings and poor visibility.

Efforts are focused on the Laurel Falls Trail which runs 4 miles from its trailhead at Little River Road, 5 miles west of Sugarlands Visitor Center, to the Cove Mountain tower. Rangers are also searching the 8.4-mile Cove Mountain trail which runs east along the Park boundary and eventually terminates at Park Headquarters. Little Greenbrier trail, the other connecting trail, is 4.3 miles which runs west along the Park boundary and connects with Cove Road which runs into Park. Both trails run along the Park boundary where there are some homes. Searchers are also investigating the possibility that Andrew may have left the Park where there are occupied homes.

Contacts have also been made with Sevier County Emergency Operations Center which has agreed to coordinate a search of roads and trails north of the Park boundary in the Wears Valley area.

Andrew has cerebral palsy and functions on a 7 or 8-year-old level. He is physically fit and is wearing a heavy blue hooded Dallas Cowboys Starter jacket over a flannel shirt.