A MAN AND HIS DOG VANISH AFTER HIS TRUCK IS FOUND ON A REMOTE NORTH CAROLINA BEACH
Chris Palmer, 39, is missing, along with his German shepherd, Zoey. Chris is an experienced outdoorsman from Arkansas who did everything right. On December 8, 2025, he and Zoey headed out to camp in the Smoky Mountains, something his family says he has done for years across different national forests. He always shared his plans, always checked in, and always let his loved ones know when he was expected to return.
From December 10 through December 27, Chris camped in the Boone Fork area. On December 25, he called home and said he was planning to head to George Washington National Forest in Virginia and stay until about January 7. On January 4, he texted again to say he was in George Washington National Forest and was going to stay another week. Then, on January 9, he texted his family that he was headed to Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. That is the last time anyone who loves him heard from him.
Instead of being found in either of those mountain forests, Chris’s red 2017 Ford F-250 turned up in a place that makes no sense. On January 12, 2026, National Park Service rangers located his truck stuck on the beach at Cape Hatteras National Seashore near Cape Point, outside Buxton, North Carolina, on Hatteras Island. The vehicle sat there unclaimed. Arkansas authorities officially declared Chris a missing person on January 16.
This isn’t a spot you just “end up” by accident. Locals familiar with the area have pointed out that the truck was reportedly found between Ramp 43 and The Point, a remote stretch of off-road beach that you have to intentionally drive to. Hatteras Island is not “on the way” to George Washington National Forest or Monongahela National Forest. It is roughly a six-hour drive in the opposite direction from where Chris told his family he was going.
Inside the truck, family-shared information circulating in missing-person and lost-pet groups says a shotgun, a safe, and camping gear were still in the vehicle. What was missing were his clothes, his coat, and Zoey’s dog bowls. There was no sign of Chris. There was no sign of Zoey.
Someone who has known Chris most of his life has described him as a former military member with extensive survival training who would rank his skills among the most elite. He is a certified level 5 whitewater rafter who has led tours in Colorado, and he has spent more of his life outdoors than indoors. He is believed to be around 5’8″ or 5’9″, with a build and skill set that make him extremely capable in the backcountry. According to this longtime acquaintance, Chris has no known mental health issues, is not a loner but also not codependent, and has traveled the country on his own many times without incident.
Chris’s family and people close to him say he is deeply devoted to them and to Zoey. They do not believe he would ever voluntarily cut off contact, vanish, or abandon his loved ones. They say he is not suicidal, has nothing to run from, and lives on his own terms, but never in a way that would purposely disappear without a word. Most importantly, those who know him insist he would never willingly leave Zoey behind. Their bond is described as inseparable. If Chris could make contact, they believe he would. The fact that he has not suggests he may be severely injured, trapped, or in serious danger rather than missing by choice.
Despite all of this, public attention has been minimal. As of January 20, 2026, the formal notice consists of a single National Park Service news release and a handful of regional news stories out of North Carolina. There has been no broad national push, no high-profile media coverage, and no widely shared alert system for an adult man who vanished on federal land with his dog after his truck was found stuck on a remote beach.
The National Park Service describes Chris as a white male, about 5 feet 6 inches tall, with blue eyes and strawberry-blond hair. He is believed to be traveling with his German shepherd, Zoey, and may still be in the area around Cape Hatteras National Seashore. His red 2017 Ford F-250 with Arkansas plates has already been recovered from the beach.
This case is not a hoax. It is a real missing-person investigation involving a highly skilled outdoorsman and his dog, who vanished after telling his family he was headed into the mountains and then somehow ending up on a barrier island that requires an intentional, hours-long drive in the opposite direction. This is exactly the kind of case that often slips through the cracks when law enforcement agencies and newsrooms decide an adult missing person does not meet their threshold for urgent coverage. Public pressure and widespread sharing are often what push cases like this forward.
If you were at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, especially in the Cape Point area between Ramp 43 and The Point, on the evening of January 11 or in the days immediately before or after, did you see Chris, Zoey, or a red Ford F-250 stuck on the beach?
If you were visiting, fishing, driving the beach, staying in Buxton or nearby, or scrolling through photos and videos from that trip and notice anything unusual in the background, please look again. Even something that feels small, like a vehicle in a photo, a man walking with a German shepherd, or a truck that looked stuck and out of place, could matter.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the National Park Service tip line at 888-653-0009, submit a tip online to the NPS Investigative Services Bureau, or call 911 if you believe you have an urgent, active lead.
Chris and Zoey, if you can see this somehow, you are not forgotten. People across the country are looking for you and fighting to keep your names from getting buried or written off as a “hoax.”
#UPDATE: NEWS RELEASE: National Park Service Provides Updates on Missing Person Chris Palmer
The National Park Service continues to seek information from the public to assist in locating Christopher Lee Palmer, 39, who was officially declared a missing person by Arkansas authorities on Jan. 16.
After a review of Dare County traffic camera footage, investigators have determined that Palmer’s red 2017 Ford F-250 was in Dare County, North Carolina, as early as the afternoon of Jan. 9. A blue and white kayak was observed in the back of the vehicle. Additionally, pings to Palmer’s mobile phone indicate that the phone was located near Avon on the evening of Jan. 10 and near Cape Point in Buxton on Jan. 11.
On Jan. 12, NPS law enforcement rangers located Palmer’s vehicle, which was stuck on the beach at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. According to visitor reports, the vehicle was also stuck on the beach on Jan. 11. The blue and white kayak, which was observed in traffic camera footage, was not in the vehicle and has not yet been found.
Palmer is believed to be traveling with his German shepherd and may still be in the area. Information from the public, including boaters, may help with ongoing investigative efforts. Anyone with information on Palmer’s whereabouts is encouraged to come forward.
Palmer is described as white, approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall, with blue eyes and strawberry-blond hair.
