Updates on Search for Charles M. Hosch

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For media inquiries: julia.hosch@gmail.com

Nov 14 (along with further updates below)

Our law partner and dear friend, Charles M. Hosch, has been missing since Tuesday, November 11, 2025, when he set out for a hike on the Byron Herbert Reece Trail near Blood Mountain in Union County, Georgia—an area he has known and loved since his youth in nearby Gainesville.

Extensive Search Efforts Continue

An intensive search and rescue operation has been underway since Wednesday afternoon, involving:

• + Dozens of trained search and rescue officers

• + Specialized K-9 units

• + Aerial support including helicopters and drones

• + Advanced technology and tracking resources

• + Additional search and rescue teams arriving today to expand the effort

The Union County Sheriff’s Office, along with multiple agencies, continues working tirelessly in the challenging terrain of the Blood Mountain Wilderness area.

About Charles

Those who have worked with Charles or sat in his classroom know him as more than a brilliant legal mind—he is a genuinely kind and profoundly sincere person who approaches every challenge and every individual with wisdom and generosity. A Harvard Law School graduate, Charles has dedicated more than three decades to mentoring law students at SMU Dedman School of Law and has been a cornerstone of our legal community. Charles was partner at Strasburger & Price, LLP for 35 years before co-founding Hosch & Morris, PLLC — both communities that he considers both colleagues and family. To his peers and students alike, he is not only an exceptional attorney and teacher, but a wonderful friend whose unwavering reliability and warmth have touched countless lives.

Charles and his beloved wife Beth met in college and have been married for 42 years. He is a devoted father to his daughters Julia Hosch Singh and Mary Catherine (Cat) Hosch; father-in-law to Aditya (Adi) Singh; brother to Heyward Hosch and brother-in-law to Julie Schieve; uncle to four nieces and nephews; and a loved member of close-knit extended family. Most recently, he could not be prouder to be a new Grandpa to his treasured granddaughter. A former Eagle Scout who has volunteered with the Scouts for years, Charles teaches Sunday school at University Park United Methodist Church and lives by the values he learned in Scouting: trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, cheerful, brave, and reverent.

Charles and his wife Beth met in college and have been married for 42 years. He is a devoted father to his daughters Julia Hosch-Singh and Mary Catherine (Cat) Hosch, father-in-law to Aditya (Adi) Singh, and beloved grandfather to one treasured granddaughter. A former Eagle Scout who has volunteered with the Scouts for years, Charles teaches Sunday school at University Park United Methodist Church and lives by the values he learned in Scouting: trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, cheerful, brave, and reverent.

Originally from Gainesville, Georgia, Charles has deep roots in North Georgia and intimate knowledge of these mountain trails he has hiked throughout his life.

Physical Description

Charles is 6’1”, approximately 200 pounds, with white hair and glasses. He was last seen wearing khaki pants, a camel-colored sweater, and a dark green jacket.

How You Can Help

If you have information regarding Charles’s whereabouts:

• + Contact Union County Emergency Operations Center: (706) 439-6091

• + Or dial 911 if in Union County, Georgia

Share on social media:

You can also help by sharing missing persons information about Charles on social media to increase visibility and reach those who may have information about his whereabouts.

For coordination of direct support only:

If you are able to provide direct, on-the-ground assistance or resources to aid in the search efforts, please contact Kate Morris at Hosch & Morris, PLLC. Please note that due to limited cell phone reception in the search area, response times may be delayed. We ask that this line be reserved only for those offering tangible, specialized support.

Our firm, along with Charles’s family, SMU Dedman School of Law, and his church community, remain hopeful and grateful for the extraordinary efforts of all search and rescue personnel and the outpouring of support from the community.

We will continue to provide updates as they become available.

Update, November 14th, 7:35 PM: There have been positive canine indications of a place on the trail where Charles likely went, which gives the search team some confirmation that he was the trail, and his family and friends some new hope for the search tonight and tomorrow.

Update, November 15th, 8:43 AM: Search efforts have significantly expanded and now include more than 50 search and rescue professionals, multiple K-9 teams, helicopters, a drone team, and expanded search areas. Efforts continue around the clock.

Update, November 15th, 7:46 PM:

Visual Sighting on Tuesday Afternoon: A credible source reported spotting Charles and having a conversation with him descending from the top of Blood Mountain on Tuesday, November 11th, at 1:30 PM.

Search Operations Update: Helicopter operations have been called off after extensive aerial coverage of all suspect areas has been completed. Drone operations continue. Ground search efforts continue with full intensity.

Update, November 16, 2025, 11:06 AM: Julia Hosch will remain available for media inquiries. Please contact julia.hosch@gmail.com.

Update, November 16th, 2:55 PM: Please continue liking and reposting the following post on LinkedIn on all social media platforms. Continued attention will help us find Charles: https://bit.ly/4oiOpdL

Update, November 16th, 7:35 PM: The search for Charles continues. Today’s Search Efforts:

• + 95 search and rescue professionals are actively working in the field

• + K-9 units continue tracking operations

• + Drone operations are being deployed

Critical Information About Charles’s Route: Throughout his life, Charles has hiked the Byron Herbert Reece Trail to the top of Blood Mountain on the Appalachian Trail (AT)—a route he knows well. We have confirmed that he was descending from the top of Blood Mountain when he was last seen.

Charles is a creature of habit. We believe that he intended to hike down Blood Mountain but lost his way. This information is helping search teams focus their efforts along the most likely path Charles would have taken on his return journey.

We will bring him home.

Update, November 17, 2025, 7:30 PM:

As the search for Charles enters its sixth day, teams continue comprehensive operations:

Today’s Operations:

• + Ground teams retraced previously searched areas while also covering new terrain

• + Drone operations continued throughout the day

• + Daily mobile alerts (similar to Amber Alerts) continue being distributed to increase public awareness

Search teams have worked tirelessly through some of the toughest terrain in Georgia, covering extensive ground in challenging conditions.

Tomorrow’s Plan:

Primary K-9 teams will implement a focused strategic approach based on all intelligence gathered throughout the search effort.

Please note: We will receive a briefing tomorrow evening. Please continue checking the firm’s website for further updates. For media inquiries, please contact Julia Hosch at Julia.Hosch@gmail.com.

We remain grateful for the heroic efforts, compassion, professionalism and continued dedication of all search and rescue personnel and the tremendous support from the community, our friends, families, and countless others who have offered their support.