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Sahil Jilani, a 24-year-old hiker from Houston, was found dead in Abrams Falls in Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park three days after going missing. His family suspects he drowned due to powerful hydraulic currents. Jilani's car and personal items were discovered near the waterfall area before his body was found on Thursday. The park had ten fatalities last year, with officials cautioning hikers about limited cell service and dangers associated with waterfalls and narrow mountain roads.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Sahil Jilani, a 24-year-old hiker from Houston, Texas, went missing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Monday. His family became worried when he stopped checking in after several hours, and his location sharing app showed him last near Abrams Falls without cellular service. Three days later, on Thursday, Jilani's body was discovered at Abrams Falls, a waterfall about 20 to 25 feet deep. His car was found at the parking lot, and his personal items were nearby. The family fears he drowned due to powerful hydraulic currents that can trap people underwater. Jilani is remembered as "a pure, kind, generous soul" who recently became an uncle and hoped to teach martial arts to his niece.
Written for “Hiker Found Dead” on 2026-10-12,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
A Texas hiker was found dead three days after going missing in Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains – and his family fears he drowned in a waterfall.
asserted
he → find → waterfall
Sahil Jilani, 24, went missing in the national park last Monday – leaving his anguished mom with an “overwhelming feeling that something was terribly wrong,” a GoFundMe page revealed.
asserted
page → go → feeling
Jilani, from Houston, had gone “hours without checking in” with his family and his location sharing “had stopped in an area without cellular service,” sparking huge concern.
asserted
sharing → go → concern
His car was found at the Abrams Falls parking lot on Wednesday, while his cell phone, keys and clothes were found near the waterfall.
asserted
phone → find → waterfall
His body was found Thursday in the waterfall, which is around 20 to 25 feet deep.
asserted
which → find → waterfall
His cause of death hasn’t been revealed yet, but his family suspects he drowned “after becoming caught in powerful hydraulic currents.”
asserted
he → reveal → currents
“What many don’t realize [is that] Abrams Falls drops approximately 25 feet into a deep pool of water, the hydraulic currents can pull a person underwater and trap them in recirculating water, making escape extremely difficult, even for experienced swimmers,” they added.
asserted
they → realize → swimmers
Jilani was a “pure, kind, generous soul” and he wanted to help his mom retire and his dad with “dental procedures” before his life was cut short, his sister, Asma Jilani Bustamente, a former entertainment journalist, told WVLT.
asserted
sister → want → WVLT
His mom has since been hospitalized “after losing her precious son,” his devastated sibling revealed, adding his death has left an “irreplaceable void.”
Jilani died after recently becoming an uncle to his niece and he “couldn’t wait to spoil [her] and teach her martial arts,” Bustamente added.
asserted
Bustamente → hospitalize → arts
Ten people died in the Great Smoky Mountains last year, according to the National Park Service.
uncertain
people → die → Service
Officials warn that the park’s “narrow mountain roads, blind curves, [and] steep drop-offs” make routes challenging for drivers, but they also highlight the risks of climbing waterfalls.
asserted
they → warn → waterfalls
Hikers in the Great Smoky Mountains are urged to not only research their routes but also carry an alternative communication device such as a locator beacon because cell phone service is “extremely limited.”
asserted
service → urge → beacon
Explorers are warned to never walk near the edge of waterfalls because they can be “extremely slippery.”
asserted
they → warn → waterfalls
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