Couple who went missing on hiking trip are found busking three days later after huge search operation with 200 volunteers was launched

  • Tesla Rackley, 20, and Anthony Logan, 25, disappeared while on a hike
  • Pair lost contact with two people in North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest
  • Family then reported them missing, sparking a massive search party 
  • After no sightings, a tip led cops to a street 30 miles away in Ashville
  • Sheriff said he was glad they were found, but said hunt was expensive 

By Wills Robinson For Dailymail.com

Published: 08:06 EST, 6 April 2016 | Updated: 13:19 EST, 6 April 2016

When Tesla Rackley, 20, and her boyfriend Anthony Logan, 25, went missing on a hiking trip, they triggered a massive search operation.

Two-hundred volunteers and scores of police officers were brought in to try and track down the pair after they disappeared from North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest, but no one could find them.

Three days later they were finally spotted 30 miles away in Ashville, busking on a street corner and completely clueless that anyone was looking for them. 

The sheriff said it was fortunate they had been found, but added that the search was expensive and could have been avoided by a simple phone call.  

esla Rackley, 20, and her boyfriend Anthony Logan, 25, were found busking on a street corner in Ashville, North Carolina, three days after family reported the pair missing from a camping trip 

esla Rackley, 20, and her boyfriend Anthony Logan, 25, were found busking on a street corner in Ashville, North Carolina, three days after family reported the pair missing from a camping trip 

The couple, who were also with their dog Lucky, were separated from two people on Saturday, NBC News reported.

Their family then contacted the authorities to report them missing.

They had reportedly hitched a ride into the city after losing contact with Rackley's brother and then decided against calling their family. 

The couple were then discovered on a street corner playing guitar on Tuesday, following a tip from a member of the public. 

Henderson County Sheriff's Officer Major Frank Stout told NBC News: 'Throughout a three-day search at least 200 persons were participating between law enforcement, emergency services, rescue, and many, many volunteers.

'Fortunately they were found. Unfortunately it was a very expensive search and rescue that could have been avoided with simple communication.

Ashville is about 80 miles from Shelby, where Rackley lives. 

Two-hundred volunteers and scores of police officers were brought in to try and track down the pair after they disappeared, but no one could find them, until a tip led police to a street corner 30 miles away

The couple, who were also with their dog Lucky (pictured), were separated from two people on Saturday 

The couple, who were also with their dog Lucky (pictured), were separated from two people on Saturday 

They lost contact with two other people they were hiking with through North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest (pictured)

They lost contact with two other people they were hiking with through North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest (pictured)

They had reportedly hitched a ride into the city after losing contact with Rackley's brother and then decided against calling their family

They had reportedly hitched a ride into the city after losing contact with Rackley's brother and then decided against calling their family

 

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