America’s national parks are beloved for their beauty, offering scenic escapes into nature, from the towering mountains of Yosemite to the vast wilderness of Yellowstone. However, beneath this idyllic veneer lies a disturbing and often overlooked phenomenon: people disappearing without a trace. Over the decades, hundreds of individuals have vanished while exploring these parks, leaving behind devastated families, unanswered questions, and a legacy of unresolved cases.
The First Known Case: Bessie and Glen Hyde (1928)
One of the earliest high-profile disappearances in a national park dates back to 1928 when Bessie and Glen Hyde, a newlywed couple, vanished during a rafting trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. The Hydes were experienced in outdoor adventures, and Glen hoped to set a new speed record for navigating the river. Bessie would have become the first woman to accomplish this feat.
However, the couple never completed their journey. Their boat was found intact and filled with supplies, but no trace of them was ever discovered. Over the years, many theories have been proposed, from accidental drowning to foul play. The mystery of the Hydes’ disappearance remains one of the most enduring cases in national park history.
The Disappearance of Dennis Martin (1969)
One of the most heart-wrenching cases is the disappearance of Dennis Martin, a six-year-old boy who vanished in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Father’s Day in 1969. Dennis was on a camping trip with his family, and while playing a game of hide-and-seek with other children, he ran off into the woods—and was never seen again.
Despite one of the largest search efforts in the park’s history, which involved thousands of searchers and even the National Guard, no trace of Dennis was ever found. His father, William Martin, was devastated and believed that his son may have been abducted, though no evidence ever confirmed this theory. To this day, Dennis Martin’s disappearance remains unsolved, leaving his family without closure.
Strange Patterns: The Work of David Paulides
The mystery surrounding disappearances in national parks gained more attention thanks to the work of David Paulides, a former police officer who has extensively documented these cases. Paulides’ “Missing 411” books highlight a troubling pattern: many of the missing individuals disappear under baffling circumstances, often in areas where no logical explanation for their vanishing exists.
According to Paulides, commonalities in these cases include the suddenness of the disappearances, the proximity of water, and the fact that search dogs often fail to track the missing person’s scent. His research has sparked debate, with some attributing the disappearances to natural causes, while others believe something more mysterious may be at play. Paulides has called for a more centralized and transparent system for reporting and tracking missing persons in national parks, as there is currently no official database for these cases.
Jacob Gray (2017)
In April 2017, 22-year-old Jacob Gray set out on a solo biking trip through Olympic National Park in Washington State. His bike, fully packed with camping gear, was found abandoned along the Sol Duc River, but there was no sign of Jacob. A massive search ensued, involving helicopters, search dogs, and divers, but after months, the trail went cold.
Jacob’s family remained hopeful, particularly his father, Randy Gray, who combed through the wilderness for clues. “I’m not giving up,” Randy told reporters. “Jacob’s out there, and I’m going to bring him home.”
Tragically, in August 2018, Jacob’s remains were found in the park, over a year after his disappearance. The cause of death remains unclear, but his family was at least able to find closure, unlike many others whose loved ones have simply vanished without a trace.
The Disappearance of Geraldine Largay (2013)
A more recent case with a bittersweet resolution is the story of Geraldine Largay, a 66-year-old woman who disappeared while hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine’s Baxter State Park in 2013. Largay, known as “Inchworm” on the trail, became disoriented and lost after veering off the trail to use the restroom.
For over two years, her whereabouts remained a mystery, despite extensive search efforts. In 2015, her remains were discovered by a contractor conducting a forest survey. A journal found with her remains revealed that she had survived for 26 days after going missing, writing final messages to her family. “When you find my body,” she wrote, “please call my husband George and my daughter Kerry.”
Her heartbreaking story highlighted the dangers of hiking in remote areas, even for experienced outdoor enthusiasts.
The Yosemite Cases: Stacey Ann Arras (1981)
Yosemite National Park has seen its share of disappearances, one of the most puzzling being the case of 14-year-old Stacey Ann Arras, who disappeared in 1981. Arras was part of a group of riders on a horseback trip when she wandered away to take photographs. She walked a short distance to a nearby lake, and that was the last time anyone saw her.
Despite a search effort that covered the surrounding area extensively, no trace of Stacey has ever been found. Her disappearance remains one of the most mysterious in the park’s history, with theories ranging from abduction to animal attack.
Modern Cases and Continuing Mysteries
Disappearances in national parks continue to this day. In June 2020, 25-year-old Karlie Guse disappeared from the Sierra Nevada foothills near Bishop, California, after a strange series of events in which she exhibited paranoid behavior the night before. Despite searches and national media attention, no trace of her has been found. Her disappearance, though not officially within a national park, occurred near a popular wilderness area and shares eerie similarities to other unsolved cases.
In 2021, Gabby Petito’s case gained national attention when her remains were found in Grand Teton National Park. While her case was ultimately determined to be a homicide, it highlighted how dangerous these vast, remote areas can be and the challenges search teams face in locating missing persons in such rugged terrain.
The Need for a National Database
One of the key issues in tracking disappearances in national parks is the lack of a centralized, public database for missing persons in these areas. As of now, the National Park Service does not keep a formal record of missing persons across the country’s parks, leading to frustration among families and search-and-rescue workers.
David Paulides and others have advocated for the creation of such a database, which would allow for more comprehensive searches and potentially lead to breakthroughs in unsolved cases. Until such a system is implemented, the full scope of how many people have gone missing in national parks remains unknown.
The stories of missing persons in America’s national parks are both tragic and unsettling. From the disappearance of Bessie and Glen Hyde in 1928 to the unresolved cases of Dennis Martin and Stacey Arras, these incidents highlight the unpredictable dangers of wilderness areas. Families, like that of Jacob Gray and Geraldine Largay, have been left with the painful reality of never seeing their loved ones again or finding out far too late what happened.
As the number of disappearances continues to grow, so too does the need for better reporting systems, more resources for search-and-rescue efforts, and perhaps a more in-depth investigation into whether there is more behind these vanishings than meets the eye. Until then, the wilderness will continue to hold its secrets.