UPDATE: Two female hikers missing in national forest found safe
Published 1:10 pm Thursday, October 22, 2020
Two female hikers who went missing in Bankhead National Forest were found with no injuries on Thursday.
Shortly after noon, the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the search had been successfully concluded.
The sheriff’s office started a search for the women Wednesday evening. At approximately 9:15 p.m. Wednesday the Sheriff’s office created a post on their Facebook page that they were searching for two adult females in the area.
Chief Deputy Tim Sandlin told the local newspaper that the Sheriff’s Multi-Agency Search and Rescue unit had made phone contact with the two missing women and began a ground search Wednesday night that lasted until 2 a.m.
He said the search resumed around 8 a.m. Thursday with Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s aviation unit assisting in the air.
There are dozens of entry points to the park and 90 miles worth of trails to cover. According to the Lawrence County Sheriff’s office, rescue teams started their search at the Randolph Trail Head.
