The hike was in a rural and rugged area of the Cherokee National Forest, the sheriff’s office said. Ground and air searches by the Johnson County sheriff and the Federal Bureau of Investigation turned up no clues of her whereabouts, frustrating and frightening her family and friends.
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Zechiel, who used to attend Wilson High School in the District, is a student at Freedom Mountain Academy in Mountain City. Rescuers found her in the mountains just before 1pm Tuesday.
Zechiel was hiking in Cherokee National Forest in northeast Tennessee when she became separated from other students from her boarding school around 2:30 p.m. on November 11, according to her father, Howard Zechiel. The group was about two miles from the nearest town and even closer to roads when Zechiel vanished. On her Facebook page, Erin Zeichiel posted, Our 16 year old daughter Ava has been missing since Wednesday, Nov 11th.
K-9 units have also been assisting in the search for the missing teen.
She’s believed to have spent the past six days and nights out in the elements.
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“We are very excited thrilled to see her, you can imagine what has been going through our minds the last 6 days, just overjoyed is the word i would use”, Zechiel said. Authorities had said she was last seen wearing brown hiking trousers, green fleece and an orange vest.
