Woman, 64, Who Went Missing While Hiking, Is Found Tied to a Tree in the Woods: Reports

A woman who was reported missing this week while hiking in North Carolina's Blueridge Mountains was reportedly found alive and tied to a tree.

The unnamed 64-year-old woman was reported missing near the Blueridge Parkway Thursday after a friend called 911 in the early afternoon.

According to reports, the friend received texts messages from the woman, who said she was having some sort of emergency, according to the Citizen-Times.

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After about an hour, the woman was reportedly found tied to a tree near a trail, according to a fire department dispatch radio recording obtained by WLOS.

"She's not deceased at this time," a rescue worker told the dispatcher. "She is tied to a tree. This is the one they were looking for."

The woman's condition was not released, however a firefighter asked dispatchers to send a park ranger ASAP.

By Friday, the incident was being investigated as a possible assault and National Park Service rangers had released a description of a possible suspect.

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The man is described as an unkempt, white male, about 50 years old, with salt-and-pepper hair and a scraggly beard, according to an NPS Rangers statement released Friday.

The suspect is believed to be wearing a light or faded grey short sleeve T-shirt, blue pants and dark tennis shoes. He may have smell musty from going unwashed for several days, according to the release.

Anyone with information that might lead to this suspect is asked to call an investigative tip line at 888-653-0009. 

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