Artifact hunter vanishes in Alabama national forest. His body was found weeks later
The body of a 44-year-old man was found weeks after he vanished in the Alabama woods while hunting for artifacts, according to officials and family members.
Chad Garrie was last seen on Wednesday, Jan. 25, in Wren, his family said on Facebook.
Authorities found his truck on Feb. 2 at Indian Tomb Hollow in Bankhead National Forest, prompting droves of hunters and officials to scour the area, according to Autumn Garrie in her update posts about Garrie.
An off-trail hiker found Garrie’s body on Feb. 11 in Bankhead National Forest on a ridge that the man went to often, The Moulton Advertiser reported.
It is believed Garrie was arrowhead hunting when he went missing, according to al.com. Searchers reported that he was searching for flint and artifacts in the national forest.
Hunters, hikers and other community members spent days looking for Garrie in the national park, including a team of people who checked sinkholes to make sure he wasn’t inside.
Garrie’s mom, Marsha Moses, thanked the community for helping look for her son, and said Feb. 12 on Facebook that he was found in the “place he loved at the highest ridge.”
“God was there yesterday through a man that followed God’s voice and went directly to my son after all the days of searching,” Moses said. “I will miss his tight, breathtaking hugs, but I know he is safe with the One that loves him more.”
Officials told WHNT they believed Garrie died near the time he disappeared on Jan. 25 due to the rate of decomposition and the weather.
“This is not the outcome we had hoped for. I want to thank all the search teams that helped look for Mr. Garrie,” Lawrence County Sheriff Max Sanders told WHNT.
Indian Tomb Hollow is about 80 miles northwest of Birmingham.
This story was originally published February 15, 2023 at 7:30 AM with the headline "Artifact hunter vanishes in Alabama national forest. His body was found weeks later."
