TL;DR: Great Smoky Mountains National Park said on August 31, 2026 that the search for Marcin Bachleda-Blaszczak, reported missing August 24, remains active inside the park and has expanded beyond the park boundary with partner agencies.
Search remains active on August 31
Great Smoky Mountains National Park continues to search for Marcin Bachleda-Blaszczak, according to the National Park Service news release titled Great Smoky Mountains National Park Continues Search for Marcin Bachleda‑Blaszczak with Multi-Agency Assistance.
That release, dated August 31, 2026, was issued from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and states that search efforts remain active within the park boundary and have expanded beyond the park as the investigation continues.
The same August 31 release states that the search is continuing with support from partner agencies. It describes the case as both an active search and an active investigation to locate Bachleda-Blaszczak.
An earlier National Park Service release titled Great Smoky Mountains National Park Expands Search for Marcin Bachleda‑Blaszczak with 57‑Member Team, dated August 30, 2026, said the park was searching with assistance from local agencies. That August 30 release also listed [email protected] as the contact for information about whereabouts.
The August 31 release asks anyone with information to contact [email protected]. The August 30 release separately asked anyone with information, or who may have seen him in or around the park, to contact [email protected].
Who search teams are looking for
Bachleda-Blaszczak is from Illinois, according to the National Park Service. NBC Chicago reported that he is from southwest suburban Lockport, according to an online fundraiser cited in its August 30 report updated August 31.
The National Park Service describes him as 5 feet, 6 inches tall and approximately 170 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. The August 28 National Park Service release titled Great Smoky Mountains National Park Searching for Missing Person gave the same description as brown hair, blue eyes, standing 5-foot-6 and weighing approximately 170 pounds.
The park released a missing-person poster with photos and the same physical description. The August 28 release included the reported-missing date of August 24 and stated that his vehicle was later located near Sugarlands Visitor Center.
NBC Chicago, in its report titled Illinois man last seen at Gatlinburg visitors center in Smoky Mountains National Park, repeated the description of 5 feet, 6 inches, approximately 170 pounds, brown hair and blue eyes. Fox Chattanooga, in its August 31 report titled Search continues for missing Illinois man in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, gave the same height, weight, hair and eye description and identified him as from Illinois.
Timeline established by investigators
Bachleda-Blaszczak was reported missing to the park dispatch center on the evening of August 24, according to the National Park Service. The August 28 release states that the report was made to the park’s dispatch center the evening of August 24.
Following the missing-person report, his vehicle was located in the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking lot. All three National Park Service releases state that finding.
Based on the investigation to date, his last known location was the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking lot on August 22, according to the August 31 release. The August 30 National Park Service release states the same last known location and date.
NBC Chicago reported that investigators believe his last known location was the visitor center’s parking lot on Saturday, August 22. Fox Chattanooga reported that investigators say his last known location was there on August 22.
The August 28 National Park Service release said rangers had completed a perimeter search around the Sugarlands area and continued expanding the search area. The August 31 release says teams continue to conduct on- and off-trail searches within a perimeter surrounding where his vehicle was discovered, while also expanding search efforts beyond the park boundary.
Where the search is focused
The focus described on August 31 is a perimeter surrounding where his vehicle was discovered, with on- and off-trail searches inside that perimeter. The August 31 release also states that search efforts have expanded beyond the park boundary as the investigation continues.
Sugarlands Visitor Center is about a two-mile drive south from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, according to the Charlotte Observer report titled Man reported missing in Great Smoky Mountains ‘confirmed safe’ in NC, park says, in the section reporting the original search. That report states that Great Smoky Mountains covers 522,427 acres, or 800 square miles, and is about a 150-mile drive northwest from uptown Charlotte.
The August 30 National Park Service release said a team of 57 park rangers and volunteers was actively searching areas in and around the park. Fox Chattanooga, reporting on August 31, also reported a team of 57 park rangers and volunteers searching areas in and around the park.
WLOS, in its report titled Update: Illinois man found safe outside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, included previous reporting on the search phase stating that 57 rangers and volunteers were actively searching on August 29. That WLOS previous-reporting section also stated that Bachleda-Blaszczak was reported missing on the evening of August 24 and that his vehicle was found in the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking lot.
Multi-agency assistance deployed by August 31
The August 31 National Park Service release states that the park continues the search with support from partner agencies and that the National Park Service and assisting agencies continue the active search and investigation.
The August 30 National Park Service release states that the park was acting with assistance from local agencies. The August 28 release also stated that the park was acting with assistance from local agencies.
WLOS reported that North Carolina Emergency Management announced online on August 29 that it was assisting the search. According to that WLOS reporting, North Carolina Emergency Management deployed an area coordinator and four of the state’s Mountain Rescue Teams.
The same WLOS reporting stated that Cherokee County was also assisting, with additional western North Carolina county emergency managers scheduled to arrive. The Charlotte Observer, in its original search reporting, stated that North Carolina Emergency Management had deployed four of the state’s Mountain Rescue Teams to assist.
Local3News, in its August 29 report titled Rangers search for missing man in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, stated that park rangers and local law enforcement continued to look for Bachleda-Blaszczak. That report also stated that a team of park rangers and volunteers was actively searching areas in and around the park, with additional resources en route.
What visitors will encounter in the search area
As the search area expands, visitors may encounter search personnel wearing brightly colored shirts both on and off established trails, according to the August 30 National Park Service release. Fox Chattanooga repeated that visitors may encounter search personnel wearing brightly colored shirts on and off established trails.
Search teams may also be operating drones, according to the August 30 National Park Service release. That release notes that drones are prohibited in the national park but were being used temporarily as part of the emergency response.
WLOS, summarizing the August 29 park guidance, also reported that visitors may encounter search personnel in brightly colored shirts on and off trails and that search teams were using drones temporarily for the emergency response even though drones are prohibited in the national park.
The August 31 release says investigators are pursuing all leads, including gathering information about Bachleda-Blaszczak’s plans and identifying anyone who may have seen him or has information about his whereabouts. The August 30 park guidance asked visitors and others to report sightings in or around the park.
Park contact information listed by the National Park Service includes the mailing address of 107 Park Headquarters Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738 and phone number 865-436-1200.
Readiness takeaway from an expanding wilderness search
This incident shows how a vehicle location becomes the starting perimeter when plans are unclear, according to the National Park Service account of the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking lot finding. Investigators said they were gathering information about Bachleda-Blaszczak’s plans, which underscores why leaving a trip plan with another person matters as general backcountry practice.
The move from a completed perimeter search around the Sugarlands area to a wider search in and around the park, and then to efforts beyond the park boundary, illustrates how search areas grow when the initial perimeter does not produce contact, according to the sequence described in the August 28, August 30 and August 31 National Park Service releases.
For visitors in the Smokies during an active search, the park’s August 30 guidance is to expect personnel off established trails and to avoid interfering with search operations. As general advice, giving search teams space and reporting possible sightings promptly to the posted dispatch address is the appropriate response.
The National Park Service, established in 1916, states that it preserves natural and cultural places for current and future generations, with more information at nps.gov. In this case, its stated emergency exception for drones shows that normal park rules can change during a life-safety response, and visitors should follow on-site instructions from rangers and volunteers.
Anyone who was near Sugarlands Visitor Center on or after August 22, or who may have seen Bachleda-Blaszczak in or around the park, is asked to contact [email protected] as listed in the August 31 release, or [email protected] as listed in the August 30 release.