We are drawn to stories about the missing because
we are trying to understand. However, there are some cases that cannot be understood,
not completely. We want to find meaning, but none
can be found because tragedy defies reason. There are countless disappearances in the national
park system of the United States. There's no way of knowing how many have vanished because there's
no central database or registry to track their cases, and without a unified index,
it's difficult to identify patterns, make connections, and find resolutions.
Within weeks, search efforts begin to wane and media attention fades. The names of those who
have gone missing are spoken by fewer and fewer people, until their name is joined to a litany
of other names, those who have gone missing . Some conservatively estimate that at least 1,600
people have vanished on public lands and remain missing under unexplainable circumstances.
One of the leading civilian researchers, David Paulides, began to research these disappearances.
He attempted to identify and exclude cases that could not be explained by animal predation,
mental illness, criminality, or voluntary disappearances. Then, he examined the
remaining outlier cases and discovered that they shared uncanny and unexplained commonalities.
These shared characteristics became known as the Missing 411.
These profile points have changed over the years, so the following is a composite summary:
○ Victims who go missing are usually on either extremes of the intellectual spectrum,
ranging from the highly intelligent to those who are struggling with mental disabilities.
○ Victims who go missing are usually on either extremes of the physical spectrum,
ranging from the very fit and active to those who are disabled or sedentary.
○ Disappearances often occur in the mid-to-late afternoon.
○ They also occur in geographical clusters ○ Severe and inclement weather coincides with
the disappearance or the beginning of the search ○ Victims go missing near large bodies of water,
boulder fields, or berry bushes. ○ If the victim is recovered,
they have no memory or they have surreal narratives to
explain their disappearance. Wolf and berries story from 1940s(?) infant.
○ Cause of death is undetermined ○ Bodies are often recovered in areas
that have already been thoroughly covered by Search and Rescue.
○ SAR will be unable to find any tracks, or if tracks are found,
they will somehow vanish mid-path. ○ Search and rescue dogs will be
unable to pick up their scent, or they will not pursue the scent if found.
○ One or both shoes are missing from recovered bodies.
○ Bodies are recovered in areas that are difficult if not impossible to reach,
especially in the time elapsed. The following are three select cases of two people
disappearing at the same time. This is Volume 2 of Missing 411: National Park Disappearances.
David Horesay and Frederick Hardisty David Horesay and Frederick Hardisty went camping
on the North Nahanni River in the Northwest Territories of Canada on June 12, 2005.
The two friends traveled to the area on a wilderness hunting trip,
and they stayed 125 kilometers (~77 miles) north of Fort Simpson.
They were described as experienced bushmen, comfortable in the rugged outdoors.
They were set to explore the Nahanni Park Reserve, which was christened in 1976. Its name comes from
the indigenous language of the Dene people, who occupied the area for thousands of years.
Their oral history contains many references to the "Naha" tribe, which means "The People Over There."
The Naha lived in the mountains and regularly descended into the lowlands on raids. However,
it’s been recorded that these people mysteriously and abruptly vanished from the area.
Geographically, the Reserve contains part of the Mackenzie Mountains and Virginia Falls,
a waterfall twice the height of Niagara Falls. It is largely composed of backcountry terrain,
thousands of square miles that have been largely unexplored. Even now, some areas remain accessible
only by air, water, or arduous hiking. Rod Gunderson, a mutual friend, offered his
cabin to Horesay and Hardisty, and when he left them on June 12th, both men were still alive.
Four days later, he noticed smoke from small fires as he returned to find the two men missing. When
he tried the doors to the cabin, he found they were locked. Inside, it was still well-supplied
with food and firewood. Concerningly, the men had left their firearms behind.
On June 18th, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) were called to investigate. They could
find no reason for why the men had abandoned the security of the cabin without their firearms.
Search teams were called to the area, and they focused their efforts on the Nahanni River.
They employed canines and aerial search units equipped with a thermal imager, and their search
continued until June 23rd with no results. Joseph Horesay, David's stepbrother, participated
in the search party, and he claimed to have found strange things at the Gunderson cabin. He told
reporters, “There were bullet shots all over the place, and there was a gunshot in the floor.”
The search o peration was continued by friends and family,
and on June 27th, David Horesay's body was found in thick bush. A corporal of the RCMP,
Al Sheppard, confirmed that the area had already been well-searched
several times previously. Strangely, his body was found with burns on his hands and arms.
The search was initiated again, and the authorities returned with search dogs on July 5th.
On July 8th, a search team found Hardisty floating in the Nahanni river, nearly 20 km (12.5 mi) away
from the cabin. Similarly, this area had already been combed by searchers in canoes and on foot.
Horesay was determined to have died of hypothermia in the autopsy, and Hardisty had drowned.
This case fits several of the Missing 411 profile points.
The two men were in good physical condition as avid outdoorsmen.
The victims went missing near the Nahanni River,
which became the focus of the search efforts early on.
Both bodies were recovered in areas that had been thoroughly searched.
Despite the remote location, the men had left no trail exiting the cabin.
Although search teams had explored the areas where bodies had been found,
canine units never uncovered their scent. JO ELLIOTT-BLAKESLEE AND AMY LINKERT
On September 13, 2013, Jo Elliott-Blakeslee and Amy Linkert traveled to the Craters of
the Moon National Monument in Idaho, which is located in the Snake River Plain.It's
one of the youngest volcanic areas in Idaho, and it contains the best-preserved flood basalt areas
in the continental US. It's a vast ocean of lava flows,
and it can make for treacherous terrain. Elliott-Blakeslee was a Idaho native.
She had earned her BS and master's degree in zoology before earning her MD. She was a physician
at the Snake River Correctional Institution, and her friend, Amy Linkert, was a retired
teacher from the Meridian School District. The two were in their 60s, but they were active and
familiar with the outdoors. Amy's niece described the two as avid hikers and survivalists.
On September 19th, they were spotted at a campground nearly 18 miles away. The two
didn't return on September 20th as planned, and when Jo failed to show up for work on the 24th,
her coworkers reported her missing. Their vehicle was discovered at Tree
Molds Trail, and it contained their dogs, cell phones, and other supplies,
indicating the two women expected to only be away for a short time. Family members assured
investigators that the women would not stray far from the vehicle or break off the trail.
At the time, the federal government was shut down, but 10 furloughed park service rangers searched
on foot anyway. An official search didn't begin until nearly a week later. Canine search teams
and foot patrols joined the ten searchers as the government exited shutdown. The National Guard
sent two Blackhawk helicopters, and planes participated in aerial searches for the two
women. They spent 6,000 volunteer hours looking for the women, traversing difficult terrain in
unpredictable weather. In the summer months, the sun bakes the black lava, and surface temperatures
can reach as high as 170 degrees Fahrenheit. On September 25th, the search area was expanded,
and searchers discovered Amy Linkert's body two miles off the trail of the rugged lava
rock. She was face-up in a lava field, wearing only a short-sleeve shirt and
pants. She didn't have her jacket, backpack, or supplies. An official cause of death was
never released; however, it's theorized that she may have died from exposure and dehydration.
It was later determined that a storm hit the area around the same time the women had arrived.
Only a few days after they were reported missing, another thunderstorm delayed search
efforts, winds reaching as high as 65 mph. It wasn't until nearly a month later that they
found the body of Jo Elliott-Blakeslee. She was two and a half miles from the vehicle,
and it was about a mile from where Amy Linkert was recovered. Her body was in
an area that had been thoroughly searched by helicopters over the previous month.
Later, rescuers determined that canine search teams had been within 200 yards of her body.
The handler recalls the dog pursuing a scent in the area,
then seemingly losing or refusing to continue. She was found near the open edge of a lava flow,
and recovery of her body was delayed due to difficult terrain and poor weather.
What drove these two experienced outdoorswomen to leave their phones, supplies, and dogs in
their vehicle? Why did they strike out from the safety of the trail.
This case shares many of the Missing 411 profile points previously mentioned.
1) The victims were well-educated and familiar with the outdoors.
2) Their disappearances weren't the only ones to occur in the area.
Richard Willis Bendele disappeared from the area in 1996. He was an experienced outdoorsman,
who had undergone a recent divorce a year prior. However, he was thriving and happy,
living with a new girlfriend. He called his mother via a portable phone after a hike, and he told her
his truck had broken down. He suspected that someone else was in the area, and they had
tampered with this truck. He marked a turnoff with an empty case of beer so he could be more
easily recovered. His mother and girlfriend drove to the area, but their vehicle suffered damage to
the oil pan, and they had to turn back before reaching Richard. That night,
6 inches of snow fell. Upon searching the area, only two gloves and one black tennis
shoe were recovered from Richard's location. • When the police discovered his vehicle,
they found the battery was turned over, and one of the windows was smashed with glass over
the ground. His cell phone and father's shotgun were left inside the vehicle.
• The search party included volunteers on foot, canine units, planes, and helicopters
that searched the roads and lava fields. Police dogs found his scent and tracked it
to a nearby road where it was lost. Richard Willis Bendele was never heard from again.
3) Inclement weather occurred near the time of the disappearance and delayed search efforts.
4) The cause of their deaths was left undetermined.
5) The location of both Linkert and Elliott-Blakeslee's bodies were in
areas that had already been well-searched. 6) Canine units could not find a scent for
Linkert, and they seemed to temporarily pursue Elliott-Blakeslee's before
resigning from the effort altogether. Terrence Woods Jr. and Connie Johnson
Terrence Woods Jr. was a freelance filmmaker, who was working for Raw TV, a production company
filming the Gold Rush series for Discovery in the abandoned mines of Idaho County, Idaho. The
show followed David Turin as he explored disused mines across the western US. On October 5, 2018,
they were filming at the Penman Mine, near the ghost town of Orogrande; they were in the
larger Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest when Woods disappeared during a day shoot on location.
He has not been seen since. Woods grew up in Maryland near Washington
DC but moved to London to pursue a master's degree. Upon graduating, he worked on high-profile
British shows, most notably The Voice UK. He was familiar with frequent traveling
and shooting on location,. He had participated in previous shoots in the wilderness of Turkey
and Alaska, and his backcountry experience was nonnegligible. He had no history
of anxiety or depression. Friends say he was not excited to travel
for this shoot, which was uncharacteristic. In the early morning of his disappearance,
he texted his father that he would be cutting short his time on the shoot by a number of weeks.
His father thought this was uncharacteristic, and Woods provided no explanation. In an
email to Raw TV, Woods explained that he was returning home because his mother had health
issues. However, his mother had already informed him that she would not be requiring surgery.
The afternoon of the disappearance, Woods was talking with a miner before excusing
himself to use the restroom. A nearby associate producer, Simon Gee, said he had an odd feeling
shortly before discovering Woods' headset on the ground. Worried he had fallen off a nearby cliff,
the associate producer approached the edge and saw Woods sprinting down
the steep incline and disappearing into the treeline of the nearby forest.
The associate producer told Woods' father that Woods had been running faster than he had seen
anyone run before, "as fast as a hare." A few of those on set tried to pursue Woods,
but they stumbled on the incline and difficult terrain, returning bloodied and bruised.
Simon Gee told Woods' father, "Due to my professional SAR training, I stopped running
after him out of fear he'd be further scared," and his story was corroborated by a local woman.
Woods left behind his backpack, including a camera bag, pens, over-the-counter painkillers,
cough drops, hand cream, charger, folding tactical knife, and stun gun.
However, he had his phone in his possession when he disappeared.
Woods was reported missing that evening, but the search party couldn't be mobilized
until the following day. Canine units, ground teams, all-terrain vehicles,
and helicopters with FLIR (forward-looking infrared) were dispatched to search the area.
Canine units followed his scent down the cliff and through the forest to a road at the base of the
cliff where his scent went completely cold. The search continued for 7 days, but no trace of
Woods was ever found. The search teams claimed that if he had been hurt or injured, they would
have found him. In the middle of the search, heavy rain and snow hindered air support.
○ Connie Johnson ○ On the same day in October of 2018,
Connie Johnson, 76, was working for Richie Outfitters as a camp cook. She was 5'7, 140 lbs,
and she had formerly worked as a US Forest Service ranger. More recently, she had taken
to leading tours through the backcountry. She was in the Big Fog Mountain area at a camp that
was only accessible by foot. A group of hunters left her and radioed the next day. They received
a response from Johnson but couldn't understand her. They returned to camp two days later, and
Johnson and her border collie, Ace, were missing. ○ Upon the report of her disappearance, search
teams were mounted on foot and horseback, with six canine tracking units and aircraft equipped
with forward looking infrared (FLIR) devices; however, no trace of Connie Johnson was found. The
active search was suspended on October 16, 2018. Her dog arrived at a ranger station three weeks
later. He was fed and checked before they flew the dog back to the search area to look for Johnson.
The undersheriff reported that the dog had no interest
in following a scent. Terrence Woods Jr. and Connie
Johnson disappeared on the same day from the same area. Neither were heard from
again. Is there a unifying explanation to their disappearances or just dreadful coincidence?
These disappearances match several of the missing 411 profile points.
Terrence Woods Jr. was well-educated with backcountry experience, and Connie Johnson
was a former forest service ranger. Woods Jr. was in strong physical
condition, surprising onlookers with his speed and agility.
Both disappearances occurred sometime in the late afternoon.
And, they occurred in the same area of the Nez Perce Clearwater national forest.
Search and rescue team were unable to discover any tracks for Woods or Johnson, and canine units were
unable to pick up a scent. CONCLUSION
These are just three cases of the likely thousands of national park disappearances. The Missing
411 profile resolves no mystery and provides no solution. It is simply a loose pattern connecting
these mysteries which cannot be resolved. Looking for answers,
we are left only with questions.
For potential theories and additional disappearances,
please visit the first video in this series: Missing 411 National Park Disappearances.