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Derek Lueking Missing Person Case

Last seen in Cherokee, North Carolina on Mar 17, 2012

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Appalachian Unsolved: Derek Lueking, missing in the Smokies
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Case Description

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In the early morning hours of March 17, 2012, 24-year-old Derek Lueking was seen on surveillance video leaving a Microtel Inn in Cherokee, North Carolina. This would be the last confirmed sighting of the young man. Concern for Derek's welfare had begun a couple of days earlier when he failed to show up for his job as an aide at Peninsula Behavioral Health Center in Tennessee and was not answering his phone. His family, after being alerted by his roommate, drove from Virginia to his home in ...Read More
Last Seen: Mar 17, 2012

Links to Additional Sources (10)

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  • Appalachian Unsolved: Derek Lueking, Missing in the Smokies
  • Appalachian Unsolved: Derek Lueking, missing in the Smokies
    •     ...View 8 additional sources

    Victim Details

    Apr 09, 2012

    Jun 12, 2018

    Derek

    Lueking

    37

    24

    70 inches

    72 inches

    215 lbs

    225 lbs

    White / Caucasian

    Male

    Mar 17, 2012

    Cherokee

    North Carolina

    Swain County

    28719

    11641

    National park Service

    Cherokee

    North Carolina

    ,

    12-1076

    2012-03-17

    National park Service

    Brown

    Hazel

    Hazel

    06/14/2026


    Area Last Seen:

    Forum Posts (3)

    Did anyone else notice how eerie it is that Derek's note simply said, "Don’t follow me"? It almost... ...Read More
    10/18/2024
    I've been following Derek Lueking's case for a while, and something that sticks out to me is the det... ...Read More
    07/16/2024
    Has anyone looked into the specific spot where Derek's car was found, Newfound Gap? It's a pretty po... ...Read More
    04/24/2023

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