A Texas hiker has been found dead three days after going missing in Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains, with his family believing he drowned after becoming caught in powerful hydraulic currents near a waterfall.

Sahil Jilani, a 24-year-old resident of Houston, died after disappearing on Oct. 5 - the same day that left his mother with an "overwhelming feeling that something was terribly wrong." His family announced the tragedy through an online fundraiser.

"It is with heavy hearts and profound sorrow that we share the sudden, heartbreaking loss of our beloved brother, Sahil Jilani, and the hospitalization of our mother after learning she had lost her precious son, our little angel and most beautiful gift," the fundraiser stated.