Episode 162: Vanished in the Smokies - The Mysterious Disappearance of Polly Melton

A cool September afternoon on a trail in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Three friends are chatting as they hike. And then… in minutes, one of them disappears. No sound. No clue. Just… gone. Polly Melton’s disappearance has left investigators and amateur sleuths searching for answers for over four decades Want more Southern Mysteries?  Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.com Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast Instagram: @southernmysteries Email: [email protected]  Episode Sources National Park Service: Cold Cases, Thelma Pauline "Polly" Melton NamUs: #MP14284, Thelma Pauline Melton Asheville Citizen-Times: Dogs Are Unable to Find Lost Hiker, September 28, 1981 The Knoxville Sentinel News: Search for Hiker Eases: Rangers feel woman no longer in park, October 1, 1981 Winston Salem Journal: Search for hiker continues, October 1, 1981 The Charlotte Observer: Female Hiker, 58, still missing in Smokie, October 1, 1981 Asheville Citizen-Times: Organized Search ends for missing woman, October 6, 1981 The Charlotte Observer: Terror is when a loved one vanishes in the mountains, November 20, 1981 Asheville Times: Disappearance Still A Mystery, December 24, 1981 The Charlotte Observer: Mystery not solved but ending, July 3, 1991 Find A Grave: Pauline “Polly” McAllister Melton 10 News: Appalachian Unsolved: Polly Melton Missing in the Smokies, December 8, 2017 Investigating Agency: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation 615-744-4000 Episode Music Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.