GATLINBURG, TN — Search crews are continuing to look for a missing Illinois man who was last seen in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Aug. 22. Park rangers say Marcin Bachleda-Blaszczak was reported missing on Aug. 24 to the park’s dispatch center. His vehicle was later found in the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking lot. Rangers have now moved beyond the immediate area and broadened the search with help from local agencies.
The park said the early search around the place where he was last seen has been completed. A combined team of 57 park rangers and volunteers is now working in and around the park. Officials are asking anyone who may have seen Bachleda-Blaszczak, or who has information about where he may be, to contact Great Smoky Mountains National Park dispatch.
Where He Was Last Seen
Park officials said Bachleda-Blaszczak was last seen at the Sugarlands Visitor Center area, a busy access point for visitors entering the park. Rangers later located his vehicle in the parking lot there, which gave searchers a specific starting point as they began their investigation. The National Park Service has not released any additional details about what he was doing before he disappeared or where he may have gone after being seen on Aug. 22.
Bachleda-Blaszczak is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. He weighs about 170 pounds. That description has been shared to help visitors and nearby residents identify him if they saw someone matching it in or around the park. Officials have not said whether he was traveling alone or with anyone else.
Search Efforts Grow
After finishing the initial search of the immediate area, rangers expanded the operation into surrounding sections of the park and nearby terrain. Great Smoky Mountains National Park said local agencies are assisting in the effort, reflecting the size of the area and the difficulty of searching heavily wooded mountain land. The team includes 57 park rangers and volunteers working together on the ground.
National park searches often begin close to a person’s last known location before widening to cover trails, roads, parking areas, and other places someone might have traveled. In this case, the park has not publicly identified any hazards or weather conditions tied to the disappearance. Officials are continuing to focus on locating Bachleda-Blaszczak and gathering any information that could help point searchers in the right direction.
How The Public Can Help
Authorities are urging anyone with a possible sighting or other relevant information to contact Great Smoky Mountains National Park dispatch at GRSM_Dispatch@nps.gov. Even small details could help investigators narrow the search area or confirm the man’s movements on the day he was last seen. Park officials have not said whether they believe foul play is involved.
For now, the investigation remains centered on finding Bachleda-Blaszczak and determining what happened after Aug. 22. The park has not announced a timeline for when the search might end, and officials continue to ask visitors and local residents to be alert if they were in the Sugarlands area around the time he disappeared.
What Is Known Now
At this point, the confirmed facts are limited: Bachleda-Blaszczak was reported missing on Aug. 24, his vehicle was found in the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking lot, and he was last seen on Aug. 22. Rangers say the initial search area has already been covered, and the broader effort is now underway with help from volunteers and local agencies. The park’s public description gives searchers a basic physical profile to use when checking leads.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park has not released any further personal details about Bachleda-Blaszczak. Until more information comes in, officials are relying on the public to help identify any possible sightings connected to the missing man.
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