Georgia · Union County · Missing & Alerts
Charles Hosch Memorial Service Set for Sept. 19: Family of the Texas Attorney Who Went Missing on Blood Mountain and the Byron Herbert Reece Trail in Union County, GA
The family of Charles Hosch, the 67-year-old Texas attorney last seen on Blood Mountain in Union County, Georgia, on Nov. 11, 2025, is planning a memorial service for him in Dallas on Sept. 19, Atlanta News First reported Tuesday night. He set out on the Byron Herbert Reece Trail, reached the summit, and was never found. The outlet published no year for the service, and no source says what happened to him.
Key facts
- What’s new
- The family of Charles Hosch is planning a memorial service
- When and where
- Sept. 19, in Dallas, Texas. Atlanta News First published no year
- Who
- Charles Hosch, 67, an attorney in Texas and adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University, originally from Gainesville, Georgia
- Last seen
- Nov. 11, 2025, on Blood Mountain in Union County, GA
- Trail
- The Byron Herbert Reece Trail, a 4-mile out-and-back up Blood Mountain, along the Appalachian Trail
- Last verified location
- The summit, where he spoke with a ham radio operator, per Hosch & Morris PLLC. He was descending when last seen
- Found?
- No. Atlanta News First reports he was never found
- What happened to him
- Not established. No source used here says
- Search size
- More than 95 search and rescue personnel by Nov. 17, 2025; around 100 by Nov. 24, 2025, with K-9 teams, helicopters and drones
- Formal search
- Suspended Nov. 24, 2025, pending new clues or information
- Family search
- A “major search” the weekend of Dec. 13-14, 2025
- Agency
- Union County Sheriff’s Office; tip number published as 706-439-6091
- Sourcing
- One newsroom — six Atlanta News First (WANF / Gray Television) stories
- What did Atlanta News First report about the Charles Hosch memorial service?
- When and where is the Charles Hosch memorial service?
- Who was Charles Hosch, the attorney who went missing on Blood Mountain?
- Where on Blood Mountain was he last seen, and what is the Byron Herbert Reece Trail?
- What is the timeline of the search in Union County, GA?
- How large was the search for Charles Hosch on Blood Mountain?
- Why were formal search operations suspended?
- What did the family do after the Union County search was suspended?
- Does the memorial service mean he was found?
- How many newsrooms have reported the Charles Hosch case?
- What is still unknown?
- What has been updated on this report?
- Charles Hosch FAQ: frequently asked questions
What did Atlanta News First report about the Charles Hosch memorial service?
Four sentences, and no more than that. Atlanta News First reported Tuesday night, under the credit “Atlanta First News staff,” that the family of a hiker who disappeared in the north Georgia mountains has now set a memorial service for him.
The station wrote that Charles Hosch, 67, was last seen on Blood Mountain in Union County on Nov. 11, that his disappearance prompted a major search, and that he was never found. It described him as an attorney in Texas and an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University, originally from Gainesville. It said the memorial service will be in Dallas, Texas, on Sept. 19.
That is the entire new development. Nothing in it says he has been found, and nothing in it says what happened to him on the mountain. This page does not add either, and it does not extend the four sentences past what they say.
When and where is the Charles Hosch memorial service?
In Dallas, Texas, on Sept. 19, according to Atlanta News First.
Attention: the outlet published the date as Sept. 19 with no year. The Local Alert is not going to calculate one for you. No venue, no time and no indication of whether the service is open to the public appeared in the report, and no organizer other than “the family” was named.
Who was Charles Hosch, the attorney who went missing on Blood Mountain?
He was 67, a practicing attorney in Texas and an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University Dedman Law School in Dallas, Atlanta News First reported on Nov. 14, 2025. The station reported he had spent three decades mentoring law students.
He was a Georgian first. His law firm, Hosch & Morris PLLC, said he was originally from Gainesville and had “deep roots” in north Georgia and “intimate knowledge of these mountain trails he has hiked throughout his life.” His daughter told the station he still had, in her words, his “Gainesville thick accent,” and that he had Eagle Scout training from this mountain.
SMU said in a statement that “Search and Rescue has asked that this information reach as many people as possible. We are holding Charles and his family in our thoughts.” His law partner, Kate Morris, asked experienced hikers who were already on the trail to help look.
His daughter is identified by Atlanta News First as Julia Hosch in the Nov. 14, 2025 story and as Julia Hosch-Singh in three later ones. This page uses Julia Hosch-Singh and notes the difference rather than picking a winner. She told the station in November 2025 that her father “wanted to go and have a nostalgic look” at the mountains, and that “he was there for the views and not really an extensive exercise or hike.”
“If anyone could figure out a way to find a way home we haven’t seen yet, it would be Dad,” she said.
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Where on Blood Mountain was Charles Hosch last seen, and what is the Byron Herbert Reece Trail?
He set out on the Byron Herbert Reece Trail, described by Atlanta News First on Nov. 17, 2025 as a 4-mile out-and-back hike up Blood Mountain. The sheriff’s office put his last sighting at the Byron Herbert Reece Trailhead on Nov. 11 — that is Nov. 11, 2025, a Tuesday, and this page states the year plainly because the memorial notice does not.
He reached the top. His law firm said he made it to the summit, where he had a conversation with a ham radio operator. Atlanta News First reported that was the last time search and rescue could verify his location, and that he was descending from the top when he was last seen.
Julia Hosch-Singh described the trail to the station this way: “Some of it is really pretty manageable and some of it is really steep and a lot of rocks.” The route runs along the Appalachian Trail, and the sheriff’s office asked anyone near or on the Appalachian Trail or the Mountain Crossing Store who may have seen him to make contact.
The diagram above draws five described points and stops. What happened after the descent began is not in any source used here, and nothing past that point is drawn.
What is the timeline of the Charles Hosch search in Union County, GA?
Nine months of it, from the trailhead to a memorial notice. Every row below is attributed to the party that said it, as relayed by Atlanta News First.
| Date | What happened | Who said it |
|---|---|---|
| Tues., Nov. 11, 2025 | Charles Hosch, 67, is last seen on Blood Mountain after setting out from the Byron Herbert Reece Trailhead | Union County Sheriff’s Office, via Atlanta News First (Nov. 14, 2025) |
| Nov. 11, 2025 | He reaches the summit and has a conversation with a ham radio operator — the last time search and rescue could verify his location | Hosch & Morris PLLC, via Atlanta News First (Nov. 17 and Nov. 24, 2025) |
| Wednesday afternoon | Specialized K-9 units, helicopters and drones are in use, the firm says | Hosch & Morris PLLC, via Atlanta News First (Nov. 14, 2025). The outlet did not date “Wednesday” |
| Fri., Nov. 14, 2025 | First report: he was wearing khaki pants, a camel-color sweater and a dark green jacket; SMU says search and rescue asked that the information reach as many people as possible | Atlanta News First, reporting the sheriff’s office, the law firm and SMU |
| Mon., Nov. 17, 2025 | Almost a week on, more than 95 search and rescue personnel, multiple K-9 teams, helicopters and a drone team are reported; the sheriff’s office gives 706-439-6091 for trail-camera tips | Atlanta News First |
| Week of Nov. 17, 2025 | Dogs pick up his scent, letting authorities narrow the search area | Hosch & Morris PLLC, via Atlanta News First (Nov. 24, 2025) |
| Sun. night, Nov. 23, 2025 | Dog team operations will be “suspended indefinitely,” and Monday will be the last day of formal search and rescue efforts | Hosch & Morris PLLC, via Atlanta News First |
| Mon., Nov. 24, 2025 | The day’s search “yielded no new clues after almost two weeks of extraordinary effort”; Union County formal search operations are suspended pending new clues or information | Hosch & Morris PLLC, via Atlanta News First |
| Sat., Nov. 29, 2025 | The firm launches www.bringcharleshome.com and asks search and rescue, drone and K-9 specialists to email [email protected] | Hosch & Morris PLLC, via Atlanta News First |
| Thu., Dec. 11, 2025 | The family announces a “major search” for the coming weekend, with a fundraiser seeking volunteers and donations to feed, house and equip crews | The family’s fundraiser, via Atlanta News First |
| Dec. 13-14, 2025 | The family’s own search weekend, planned to include hikers, errand runners, medical support, food teams, drivers and telephone operators | The family’s fundraiser, via Atlanta News First (Dec. 11, 2025) |
| Tue., Aug. 18, 2026 | The family is planning a memorial service; he was never found | Atlanta News First |
| Sept. 19 | Memorial service in Dallas, Texas. The outlet published no year | Atlanta News First (Aug. 18, 2026) |
How large was the search for Charles Hosch on Blood Mountain?
Large, and it grew. By Nov. 17, 2025, Atlanta News First reported more than 95 search and rescue personnel, multiple K-9 teams, helicopters and a drone team. By Nov. 24, 2025, the figure reported was around 100 search and rescue personnel with the same mix of aircraft, drones and dogs.
His law firm said in November 2025 that “the Union County Sheriff’s Office, along with multiple agencies, continues working tirelessly in the challenging terrain of the Blood Mountain Wilderness area.” His daughter said his Boy Scout troop from 1970 rallied and several of them went up the mountain to look.
The two dashed bars are not zeroes. They mark the two stretches where Atlanta News First described the effort but published no head count, and The Local Alert does not fill that in with a guess.
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Why were formal search operations for Charles Hosch suspended in Union County?
Because they ran out of clues, not out of effort. On Sunday night, the law firm said dog team operations would be “suspended indefinitely” and that Monday would be the last day of formal search and rescue efforts. On Monday afternoon — Nov. 24, 2025 — the firm said that day’s search “yielded no new clues after almost two weeks of extraordinary effort.”
Union County’s “formal search operations have been suspended pending the discovery of new clues or information,” the firm said. In the week before that, it had said dogs picked up his scent, which let authorities narrow the search area.
“We are forever indebted to the search and rescue teams who navigated treacherous terrain in challenging conditions with heroism, skill, and tireless dedication,” the firm said.
What did the family do after the Union County search was suspended?
Kept searching. The firm said its own efforts would continue — “We are planning the next phase and will share details as they develop” — and on Nov. 29, 2025 it went looking for outside experts through a newly created website, www.bringcharleshome.com.
“We have been encouraged by volunteer search and rescue organizations reaching out to offer support, and we need more help,” the firm said. It asked anyone specializing in search and rescue, drones, K-9 teams or other helpful fields to email [email protected]: “Your knowledge and resources are invaluable to our efforts… Our resolve remains unshaken.”
Two weeks later the family organized a “major search” for the weekend of Dec. 13-14, 2025, Atlanta News First reported on Dec. 11, 2025, with an online fundraiser asking for volunteers and for donations to feed, house and equip search crews. The weekend was to involve hikers, errand runners, medical support, food pickup and drop-off teams, drivers and telephone operators.
The fundraiser said: “We are on a short timeline before the weather will stop us from being able to support daily searches safely. This weekend is potentially our last and best hope at finding Charles, at least in this phase of our search. However, we are not giving up, and neither should you. Together, we can bring Charles home.”
That was the last search Atlanta News First reported before Tuesday’s memorial notice. What happened between December 2025 and August 2026 is not covered in any story used here.
Does the Charles Hosch memorial service mean he was found on Blood Mountain?
No. Atlanta News First reported flatly that he was never found, in the same story that reported the service.
No source used on this page states that Charles Hosch is dead, and this page does not state it either. No recovery, no medical examiner, no coroner, no cause and no determination of any kind appears in the reporting. A family has scheduled a memorial service for a man who was never found on Blood Mountain, and that is the whole of what is established. The Local Alert will not turn a memorial notice into a finding of fact.
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How many newsrooms have reported the Charles Hosch case?
One. All six stories cited here — Nov. 14, Nov. 17, Nov. 24, Nov. 29 and Dec. 11 of 2025, and Aug. 18, 2026 — were published by Atlanta News First, the WANF newsroom owned by Gray Television. Six datelines, six URLs, and one newsroom.
That matters for how you read this page. There is no independent second outlet cited here, because none was used. Everything above reaches you through a single newsroom relaying the Union County Sheriff’s Office, the Hosch & Morris law firm, the family’s own fundraiser and SMU. Where a claim came from the firm rather than the sheriff’s office, this page says so, because they are not the same voice.
During the active search, Atlanta News First reported that the Union County Sheriff’s Office gave the number 706-439-6091 for people with trail cameras in the area. That was published in November 2025; nothing establishes whether it is still the number for this case. Union County, Georgia maintains an official county website.
What is still unknown about Charles Hosch and the Blood Mountain search?
- What happened to Charles Hosch. No source used here says. He was descending from the summit when last seen, and the reporting stops there.
- The year of the Sept. 19 memorial service. Atlanta News First published the date without a year, and this page does not supply one.
- The time, venue and organizer of the service, and whether it is open to anyone outside the family.
- Whether he was ever found. Atlanta News First said on Aug. 18, 2026 that he was never found; no later development is reported.
- What searching, if any, happened between the family’s Dec. 13-14, 2025 weekend and the memorial notice nine months later. No story used here covers that stretch.
- How many people took part in the family’s December search. The outlet published no head count for it.
- Which agencies beyond the Union County Sheriff’s Office worked the search. The law firm referred to “multiple agencies” without naming them.
- The identity of the ham radio operator who spoke with him at the summit, and what was said.
- Whether the 706-439-6091 tip line is still the number for this case.
- Whether the case remains open with Union County, and under what classification.
- Whether his daughter’s name is properly Julia Hosch or Julia Hosch-Singh. Atlanta News First used both.
- Whether any second newsroom has independently reported any of this. None is cited here.
What has been updated on this Charles Hosch report?
- Aug. 18, 2026, 10:40 p.m. ET — First published, after Atlanta News First reported at 9:51 p.m. ET that the family is planning a memorial service in Dallas on Sept. 19. Five earlier Atlanta News First stories, from Nov. 14 to Dec. 11, 2025, were read and used to build the timeline, the route diagram and the personnel chart.
- Aug. 18, 2026, 10:40 p.m. ET — Noted that the outlet published “Sept. 19” without a year. No year is stated on this page.
- Aug. 18, 2026, 10:40 p.m. ET — Noted that the daughter is named Julia Hosch in one story and Julia Hosch-Singh in three others.
What else do people ask about Charles Hosch and the Blood Mountain search in Union County, GA?
Has Charles Hosch been found?
No. Atlanta News First reported on Aug. 18, 2026 that Charles Hosch was never found after he went missing on Blood Mountain in Union County, Georgia, on Nov. 11, 2025. None of the reporting used here says what happened to him.
When is the Charles Hosch memorial service?
On Sept. 19, in Dallas, Texas, according to Atlanta News First. The outlet wrote Sept. 19 without publishing a year, so no year is stated here. No time, no venue and no word on whether the service is public was reported.
Where was Charles Hosch last seen?
On Blood Mountain in Union County, Georgia. He set out on the Byron Herbert Reece Trail, a 4-mile out-and-back hike up the mountain along the Appalachian Trail, and his law firm said he was descending from the top when he was last seen, on Nov. 11, 2025.
Who was Charles Hosch?
Charles Hosch was 67, an attorney in Texas and an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University Dedman Law School in Dallas. Atlanta News First reported he was originally from Gainesville, Georgia, and that he spent three decades mentoring law students.
What was the last verified location of Charles Hosch on Blood Mountain?
The summit. His law firm, Hosch and Morris PLLC, said he made it to the top of Blood Mountain, where he had a conversation with a ham radio operator. Atlanta News First reported that was the last time search and rescue could verify his location.
How many people searched for Charles Hosch in Union County, GA?
More than 95 search and rescue personnel were involved as of Nov. 17, 2025, and around 100 as of Nov. 24, 2025, along with multiple K-9 teams, helicopters and a drone team, according to Atlanta News First.
When were formal search operations for Charles Hosch suspended?
On Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. The law firm said Union County formal search operations had been suspended pending the discovery of new clues or information, after a final day of searching that it said yielded no new clues following almost two weeks of effort.
What did the Hosch family do after the official search ended?
The law firm created a website, bringcharleshome.com, and on Nov. 29, 2025 asked people with search and rescue, drone or K-9 expertise to email [email protected]. In December the family organized a major search for the weekend of Dec. 13-14, 2025, with an online fundraiser seeking volunteers and donations.
Was there a tip line for the Charles Hosch search?
Yes. Atlanta News First reported on Nov. 17, 2025 that the Union County Sheriff's Office gave the number 706-439-6091 for people with trail cameras in the area. That number was published during the active search, and no source says whether it is still the line for this case.
What is the name of Charles Hosch's daughter?
Atlanta News First identified her as Julia Hosch in its Nov. 14, 2025 story and as Julia Hosch-Singh in three later stories. This page uses Julia Hosch-Singh. The outlet used both forms and nothing in the reporting settles which one she prefers.
How many newsrooms have reported the Charles Hosch story?
One. All six stories cited on this page were published by Atlanta News First, the Gray Television station WANF. That is a single newsroom, and no independent second outlet is cited here because none was used.
Do we know what happened to Charles Hosch on Blood Mountain?
No. None of the six Atlanta News First stories says what happened after he was last seen descending from the summit of Blood Mountain on Nov. 11, 2025. Anything beyond that is not established by the reporting and is not stated here.
Sources
All six sources below are Atlanta News First (WANF), a Gray Television newsroom. They are six stories from one newsroom, not six independent outlets, and nothing on this page is corroborated by a second newsroom.
- Atlanta News First — “Memorial service planned for Texas attorney who went missing in north Georgia mountains”, credited to “Atlanta First News staff,” published 9:51 p.m. ET, Aug. 18, 2026. Unique contribution: the memorial service in Dallas on Sept. 19, and the statement that he was never found.
- Atlanta News First — “Law school professor goes missing on hike in north Georgia”, Nov. 14, 2025. Unique contribution: the Byron Herbert Reece Trailhead as the last sighting, the clothing description, the SMU statement, law partner Kate Morris, the K-9 and helicopter and drone response, and Julia Hosch’s first quotes.
- Atlanta News First — “Almost a week later, Dallas lawyer still missing near Appalachian Trail in north Georgia”, Nov. 17, 2025. Unique contribution: the 4-mile out-and-back description of the trail, the summit conversation with a ham radio operator as the last verified location, the Eagle Scout and 1970 Boy Scout troop detail, more than 95 personnel, and the 706-439-6091 tip number.
- Atlanta News First — “‘Formal search operations’ suspended for Texas attorney missing in north Georgia mountains”, Nov. 24, 2025. Unique contribution: the suspension of formal search operations, around 100 personnel, the scent detection the week before, and the firm’s statements on the last day of searching.
- Atlanta News First — “Law firm asks for help in finding Dallas professor who went missing on north Georgia hike”, Nov. 29, 2025. Unique contribution: the bringcharleshome.com website and the call for outside search and rescue, drone and K-9 expertise.
- Atlanta News First — “Family plans ‘major search’ to find Texas attorney who went missing on north Georgia hike”, Dec. 11, 2025. Unique contribution: the Dec. 13-14, 2025 family search weekend, the fundraiser and its statement, and the roles the weekend was to involve.
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- Sparta, GA: the GBI seeks information on George Wayne Pailloz Jr., 55
- Jones County, GA: deputies search for John Rouse, 65
Compiled by The Local Alert Georgia Staff from the six sources linked above. Heads up: all six are the same newsroom — Atlanta News First (WANF), a Gray Television station — so nothing here is independently corroborated. Charles Hosch was never found, according to that newsroom. No source used on this page says he is dead, says what happened to him on Blood Mountain, or publishes a year for the Sept. 19 memorial service, and this page states none of those things. The Local Alert is not a law enforcement agency and not a law firm. Corrections and removal requests: see our corrections policy.
Reported and fact-checked as of .
Every source linked here was opened and read at that time. This report reflects what was known at that moment — it is not updated automatically as the story develops. For the current status of this case, contact the agency named above.
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