Search Suspended for Bethlehem Hiker Matthew Greene

The search for missing Bethlehem hiker Matthew Greene in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California has been suspended until spring, according to information posted on the family's "Find Matthew Greene" Facebook page.

"It is winter in Mammoth; snow has already fallen a few times. The window of opportunity to search this year has closed; the weather making it too treacherous," the post says.

Greene, 39, a high school math teacher in the Nazareth Area School District, a Bethlehem resident and a Lehighton High School graduate, has been missing since mid-July. 

"There is nothing we can do but accept it, take a step back, and plan to approach the search with renewed vigor in Spring," the post says.

Greene's parents have launched a scholarship fund in their son's name at Nazareth Area School District, the Facebook post says.

The last person known to have talked to Greene did so on July 16, police have said. At the time, he was camping at the Shady Rest Campground while his car was being repaired at a local shop. He did not return to the campground or the repair shop to pick up his car. He may have gotten a ride from someone to a remote area to hike or climb, police have said.