A Woman Sets Out On A Hike With Friends In 1981 And Is Never Heard From Again

Thelma Melton, known affectionately to her loved ones as “Polly,” was never one to stay in one place for long. At 58, she was a retired schoolteacher with no children of her own, living with her husband, Bob, in Jacksonville, Florida.

During the summer months, the couple embraced a nomadic lifestyle, traveling in their Airstream trailer to a campground in North Carolina’s Great Smoky Mountains.

Polly loved the outdoors and was an avid hiker, though in recent years she had been diagnosed with high blood pressure, requiring regular medication.

Because her husband Bob was nearly two decades older, he was often unable to join her on the trails. Undeterred, Polly would hike alone or with friends, relishing the freedom of the mountains.

Whenever Polly was in the mountains, she volunteered at a local nutrition centre, where she had become a cherished member of the team and formed close friendships.

On 25th September 1981, just after 3pm, Polly set out with two friends from the centre for a hike along the popular Deep Creek Trail. Polly was no stranger to this 1.6-mile route, which featured light bridges and scenic waterfalls, having hiked it many times before.

At the start of the hike, Polly’s friends teased her with a light-hearted joke about walking slower than usual. In response, Polly picked up her pace, quickly outstripping her companions. As she surged ahead, one of them called out:

"I wouldn't want to be in a foot race with you, Polly!"

The friends laughed together as Polly disappeared around a bend just a few feet ahead. But moments later, when they reached the same bend, she was nowhere to be seen.

Assuming she had gone further along the trail, they expected to catch up with her soon. Yet when the hike ended and they returned to Polly’s parked camper, it became clear—she had never made it back.

When Bob confirmed that his wife hadn’t returned to the trailer, Polly’s two friends immediately retraced the trail, desperately searching for their missing companion.

Panic quickly set in as their efforts proved fruitless. Over an hour passed, and fears only intensified. By this time, another friend and the husband of one of the group members had joined the search.

By 6pm, a frantic Bob realised the situation was beyond their control and called in the forest rangers.

An extensive search of the area began, with rescue teams venturing deep into the dense surrounding brush. Search dogs were deployed to aid in the effort, and the trail was temporarily closed to the public.

The dogs led searchers to a fallen tree alongside the trail, where it was believed Polly may have paused to rest. A footprint, matching one of Polly’s distinctive shoes, was spotted on the trail—but it soon became indistinguishable among the tracks of other hikers.

For the next five days, the search continued relentlessly. Police began interviewing everyone who knew Polly, uncovering details that added new layers to the investigation.

During a conversation with the minister of the church Polly attended in North Carolina, officers learned that she had confided in him about an affair she was having. He also revealed that, shortly before setting out on the hike, Polly had asked to use the telephone—a request he said was unusual for her. According to the minister, Polly had returned several times that day to make calls, yet had not actually used the phone during her first visit.

Despite thorough investigation, authorities were unable to trace any of these calls, leaving the identity of the person she had been contacting a mystery.

Polly’s disappearance had a devastating impact on her elderly husband. The stress of the event was so severe that he suffered a stroke the night she vanished and was subsequently hospitalized, spending the remainder of his life in a nursing home.

Despite exhaustive efforts, no trace of Polly’s remains was ever found, and the case began to grow cold. Seven long months later, in April 1982, a check in Polly’s name was cashed at a bank in Alabama.

Detectives immediately sought to identify the person who had cashed it, but their efforts proved fruitless. The bank had no CCTV footage, and the teller on duty could not recall who had come into the branch.

Tragically, this would be the final lead in the case, leaving Polly’s fate unresolved.

In the decades since Polly’s disappearance, numerous theories have emerged.

At the centre where she volunteered, staff were asked to leave a note if they planned to work the following day. On the morning Polly set out for her hike, she failed to do so—an unusual lapse that some interpreted as a sign she never intended to return. Perhaps she had planned to start a new life elsewhere, particularly if the rumours about her involvement with another man were true.

Some believe Polly may have come to harm at the hands of a stranger she encountered on the trail. However, standing 5'11" and weighing 180 pounds, she was a formidable woman—capable of defending herself—making such a scenario seem unlikely.

Others have speculated that Polly may have taken her own life. After her mother’s death a few years earlier, her husband Bob said she had become deeply depressed and had been prescribed medication. Though she appeared to have overcome her sadness by the time of her disappearance, Bob later noticed that some of his Valium tablets were missing and were never accounted for.

Whatever happened to Polly on that fateful day in 1981 remains a mystery. Over 43 years have passed, and there has never been any trace of her or any named suspect in the case.

Tragically, it seems increasingly unlikely that we will ever know her fate. If she were alive today, Polly Melton would be 102 years old.