BLUE RIDGE, Ga. — Investigators have identified a man who was found dead on a north Georgia hiking trail back in January.
A man's body was found on Jan. 21 off a part of the Appalachian Trail in Fannin County called the Benton MacKaye Trail, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
In an April 18 update, the GBI said the man has now been identified as 41-year-old Stephen Lucas Ryan of Pennsylvania.
Authorities said Ryan was wearing a small gray t-shirt, gray long sleeve fleece shirt, tan Wrangler brand cargo pants size 30x32, gray wool boot socks and Keen brand hiking boots size 10.5.
He also had a black Thermal-FR brand fleece quarter-zip pullover, a dark gray Champion brand quarter-zip fleece, a black Uline skull cap with rechargeable light attachment, and a small black folding shovel with him.
His belongings are pictured below:
Belongings of hiker found dead
The GBI previously said they believe he was a hiker on Springer Mountain.
Back in March, the agency asked the public for their help identifying the man. Weeks later, they said the work of the FBI, GBI Crime Lab and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System helped lead them to his identity.
The GBI is thanking people who shared the hiker's information amid their investigation.