Man Reported Missing from the Buffalo National River Found

A hiker reported missing near the Buffalo National River in Newton County has been located on the Horseshoe Bend trail near the Red Bluff lookout.

Search and rescue personnel found Clinton Smith of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, around noon Tuesday and assisted him to Kyle’s Landing. He was reportedly in good spirits.

According to the National Park Service, Smith had set out for a hike on the Hemmed-in-Hollow Trail in Buffalo National River on Thursday. He was reported missing by his family Friday evening after he failed to return home as scheduled. The National Park Service and Newton County Sheriff’s Office led a search and rescue operation beginning Saturday morning and canvased the Ponca Wilderness for four days. Grid style ground searches, aerial searches and tracking dogs were used by search and rescue crews.

Additional assistance was provided by the Mennonite Disaster Service, BUFFSAR volunteers, Arkansas Alliance of Bloodhound Search Specialists, Arkansas State Police, Compton Volunteer Fire Department, County Line Baptist Church, Marion County Search and Rescue and North Arkansas Regional Medical Center. Fred Wohl and his horse team also assisted in the rescue.\

(From KTLO)