DALLAS, Texas — The search for Dallas attorney and SMU law professor Charles Hosch has entered its sixth day in the rugged mountains of north Georgia, and a newly reported sighting is giving his family fresh hope.

A hiker contacted authorities this weekend to report they met 67-year-old Hosch on Blood Mountain on November 11, the day he disappeared.

“It’s huge,” his daughter, Julia Hosch, said.

Search crews have been combing the Appalachian Trail since his car was found days ago at the Byron Herbert Reece Trailhead.

The hiker’s account confirmed to the family that Hosch made it to the summit, something they weren’t sure of because “he wasn't really wearing proper hiking shoes.” When asked about her dad chatting with a stranger at the top of the mountain, Julia laughed.

“That is the

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