On January 9, 2026, 39-year-old Christopher Lee Palmer, a male from Arkansas, was last seen in Manteo, North Carolina. He had been on a month-long camping trip with his 11-year-old German Shepherd, Zoey, exploring various national parks. Palmer had informed his family of his plans to camp in the Great Smoky Mountains, as well as the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest and Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia.
Traffic cameras last captured his red 2017 Ford F-250 in Dare County, North Carolina, on the afternoon of January 9th, with a blue and white kayak visible in the truck bed. His phone pinged near Avon on the evening of January 10th and near Cape Point in Buxton on January 11th. On January 12th, his truck was discovered stuck on the beach at Cape Hatteras National Seashore by National Park Service rangers. Neither Palmer nor his dog were at the scene, and the kayak was also missing.
The discovery of Palmer's abandoned truck prompted a search by the National Park Service. His family officially reported him missing on January 16th. Friends and family described him as an experienced outdoorsman and a former military member with extensive survival training. The search for Palmer and Zoey was extensive, with authorities seeking information from the public, including boaters who might have seen the missing kayak. As the days turned into weeks with no sign of Palmer, a heartbreaking revelation came to light.
In a public statement, Palmer's father announced the difficult decision to cease all active search efforts. He shared that the family had recently learned Christopher was facing a terminal illness. This new information provided the family with a painful understanding of the choices he may have made. His father expressed the belief that Christopher, who cherished the outdoors and his independence, did not want to face the future that his illness and its treatments would bring. The family believes he perished at sea. It is also believed that his elderly dog, Zoey, who had her own health issues, passed away and was laid to rest by Palmer before he continued to the coast. While personal belongings were found along the coastline, neither Christopher Palmer nor his kayak have been recovered.Last Seen: Jan 9, 2026
