The AT makes for a good spot to disappear and would allow the necessities of life to be fairly close by and easy to come across, especially for a well-liked thru hiker. It's a very supportive, very anonymous society.
On a related note, when I hiked the AT in 2000-2001, my partner and I passed more than a couple FBI most wanted signs at road crossings for Eric Rudolph who was suspected of hiding in the mountains at the time. He had been eluding the police for years by then. He was wanted for the Centennial Park bombings in 1996 and was caught in 2003.