At age 58, Polly Melton was living her best life — or so everyone thought. It was 1981 and she was living in an Airstream camper with her husband. They lived part of the year in Jacksonville, Fla., and would spend a few months every fall camping in the Great Smokey Mountains. Polly’s husband Robert was 20 years older than her and in poor health. Because he couldn’t go on hikes with Polly, her friends would often accompany her. On Sept. 25, 1981, Polly and two of her friends decided to go hiking at the popular Deep Creek Trail, a trail she was very familiar with and had walked many times. The three headed off, with the friends making a joke about Polly walking too slow. As they moved down the trail, Polly began to pick up speed, so much so that she hit a crest in the trail way before her friends did. When they rounded the bend a few minutes later, Polly was nowhere to be found. They kept going, thinking they would catch up to her, but they didn’t. They finally headed back to Polly’s camper, but Polly wasn’t there either. That’s when Robert called the park rangers to report Polly missing.
A full-scale search began, and 9 search dogs were brought out. The dogs alerted on a fallen tree that lay next to the trail, but searchers believed that Polly may have stopped there to take a break. Polly’s footprints were identified at one point, as she had one shoe with a broken heel. Eventually, the footprints came to a point where other footprints blended right into hers. The search for Polly would continue for 5 straight days, with the trail remaining closed through October 2. Meanwhile, police were talking to everyone who knew Polly. When they talked to the minister of her church, he said he believed Polly was having an affair, but he didn’t know any other details. A supervisor at The Nutrition Center, where Polly was a volunteer, said that the day before she left for the camping trip, she made several personal phone calls, something that wasn’t like her. Police were unable to find out anything regarding the phone calls.
Things became quiet in the investigation and search for Polly, that is until 7 months later. In April of 1982, a bank had issued a check to Polly for some type of interest payment and that check was cashed at a bank in Alabama. Detectives tried to track down who had cashed the check, but ultimately couldn't figure it out. The bank didn’t have cameras, and the teller couldn't remember anything about the person who had cashed it. There would be no further clues in Polly’s disappearance. Some believe Polly was tired of being a full-time caregiver and wanted to start a new life, some believe she got lost and had an accident, and some believe it was Polly’s intention to end her own life. While foul play can’t be ruled out, the trail was a busy and popular trail spot, so the likelihood of being seen is high. The case is still considered open, so if anyone has any information, they can contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 615-744-4000.
