Friends Hope To Find Hiker Missing Near Lake Tenkiller

Thursday, extreme heat shut down the search for a man presumed missing for two days.

Friends say Matthew Fagan disappeared after leaving them during a hike on Tuesday near Lake Tenkiller. There are, however, some questions about whether Fagan is even in the Cato Creek area.

Friends who were hiking with Fagan Tuesday said he turned around because he had pain in his leg. Since then, Sequoyah County deputies have been looking for him.

When Michael Snelling and the rest of the group returned from hiking on the Buzzard Roost Nature Trail Tuesday, one of their friends was waiting behind in the truck, but Fagan had never returned.

"We asked him if he's seen Fagan and he goes 'no, we thought he was with you.' That's when we started hollering and everything else. He didn't show up, so we waited a couple of hours around, just to see if he would come out, probably mad at us or something. We waited, he didn't show up," Snelling said.

The group called 911 and Sequoyah County deputies searched Tuesday and brought out dogs and horseback riders Thursday before suspending the search because of the heat.

6/23/2016 Related Story: Authorities Call Off Search For Missing Hiker At Lake Tenkiller Due To Heat

"The family has had no contact. The brothers have had no contact. He has no cell phone either," said Chief Deputy Charles House with the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office.

House said his investigators are getting conflicting stories from Fagan's friends about what happened on the trail.

"At this point, we're not even sure if he's still in the woods," the chief deputy said.

Fagan's friends in Webbers Falls hope he's found.

"No one knows where he's at, and we're all worried about him. I mean, we need him to come home," Sha Lynn Terrell said.

Snelling said, "Fagan, I know you're out there brother. Nobody is mad at you, we just want you to come home safely. Your family is here in Oklahoma, as well as your friends. We want you to come home and be safe man."

The Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office is urging anyone to call them at 918-775-9155 if you have any information.