UPDATE: According to Greene County Sheriff Wesley Holt, the search will be conducted by emergency response organizations and no civilian searchers are needed at this time.
Due to limited parking and for the safety of responders, Viking Mountain Road will be closed at the intersection to Kennedy Cabin Road (Forest Service Road # 358). Officers will be staged at that intersection, and no one will be allowed beyond that point.
A search will be conducted this weekend on Saturday for a missing woman, 31 year-old Jennifer Elliott. Radio Greeneville spoke with Detective Sergeant Toby Price from the Greene County Sheriff’s Department yesterday morning and he said the search on Viking Mountain will start at about 10 AM.
Elliot went missing on March 22nd, 2024 after reaching out to family for a ride due to her vehicle being stuck on Viking Mountain. Law enforcement searched for her that day but were unable to find her. They did however find and speak with her boyfriend, who was located by her vehicle. He said Elliot ran off into the woods. Hikers on the Appalachian Trail also reported seeing a woman matching Elliott’s description and said the woman appeared to be trying to hide from them.
Elliot was just reported missing on May 2nd. There has been much speculation regarding her disappearance and why she was reported missing over a month later. Price was able to clarify some information. Elliot was reportedly believed to be living in Sevier County before she went missing. She was not particularly close with her local family and was not in frequent contact with them, so it was not rare that they did not remain in contact after March 22nd.
Her boyfriend was arrested on March 22nd, the day she went missing, by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for having a warrant out of Jefferson County. On April 13th he was transferred to the jail in Sevier County on separate warrants and was not released until April 30th, according to Price. Elliot’s boyfriend thought she would be waiting for him when he was released from jail but she wasn’t. After checking in with friends and her family on her whereabouts, no one had heard from her since the day she went missing.
Price informed us that foul play is not suspected at this time but cannot be ruled out. He hopes Elliot is staying with a friend and hasn’t realized she was reported missing yet.
There is a regional call out with a search to be conducted on Saturday. There will be volunteers from the Greeneville Emergency and Rescue Squad and neighboring counties. The Sheriff’s Department and members of the U.S. Forest Service will also be attending. Volunteers will meet at about 9 AM with the search to begin at about 10 AM. For further questions regarding the search location and more details, reach out to the Rescue Squad at 423-638-3431.
