A Texas hiker was found dead three days after going missing in Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains – and his family fears he drowned in a waterfall.
Sahil Jilani, 24, went missing in the national park last Monday – leaving his anguished mom with an “overwhelming feeling that something was terribly wrong,” a GoFundMe page revealed.
Jilani, from Houston, had gone “hours without checking in” with his family and his location sharing “had stopped in an area without cellular service,” sparking huge concern.
His car was found at the Abrams Falls parking lot on Wednesday, while his cell phone, keys and clothes were found near the waterfall.
His body was found Thursday in the waterfall, which is around 20 to 25 feet deep.
His cause of death hasn’t been revealed yet, but his family suspects he drowned “after becoming caught in powerful hydraulic currents.”
“What many don’t realize [is that] Abrams Falls drops approximately 25 feet into a deep pool of water, the hydraulic currents can pull a person underwater and trap them in recirculating water, making escape extremely difficult, even for experienced swimmers,” they added.
Jilani was a “pure, kind, generous soul” and he wanted to help his mom retire and his dad with “dental procedures” before his life was cut short, his sister, Asma Jilani Bustamente, a former entertainment journalist, told WVLT.
His mom has since been hospitalized “after losing her precious son,” his devastated sibling revealed, adding his death has left an “irreplaceable void.”
Jilani died after recently becoming an uncle to his niece and he “couldn’t wait to spoil [her] and teach her martial arts,” Bustamente added.
Ten people died in the Great Smoky Mountains last year, according to the National Park Service.
Officials warn that the park’s “narrow mountain roads, blind curves, [and] steep drop-offs” make routes challenging for drivers, but they also highlight the risks of climbing waterfalls.
Hikers in the Great Smoky Mountains are urged to not only research their routes but also carry an alternative communication device such as a locator beacon because cell phone service is “extremely limited.”
Explorers are warned to never walk near the edge of waterfalls because they can be “extremely slippery.”
