Into the Wild. Gone Without a Trace.
Case Archive: 83 files

Unresolved Wilderness Archive

People vanish.
Their stories remain.

An independent case archive preserving the names, faces and last-known paths of people missing from America’s wild places.

83 case files currently held in the archive.

Archive Ledger · Active

Total documented disappearances

83

Each entry represents a person who entered the wilderness and never returned.

File 01 · Longest Unresolved

The Disappearance of Joseph B. Labonte Jr. at Baxter State Park

Missing since 11/08/1938

Missing for 88 years and 3 months

Last known: South Branch Pond area, Baxter State Park, Piscataquis County, Maine, USA

File 02 · Most Recent

Joel Thomazin - Missing From Hetch Hetchy Area

Disappeared on 6th September 2021

Missing for 5 years and 2 months

Last known: Lake Eleanor Rd, California 95321, USA

Registry ledger

Inside the archive

A factual overview of the records currently preserved by Vanished.

Total cases logged 83 Each entry is a missing person in wild terrain.
States with recorded disappearances 6 The wilderness is not confined to one region.
Parks / regions tracked 30 Clusters often form around familiar names.
Cases with mapped coordinates 83 These appear on the map below.
Cases without a known date 1 Some stories arrive incomplete.
Faces in the files

The open case wall

Every photograph belongs to a person whose story deserves to remain visible.

Allen Clarence Theis Missing From Lewistown

Allen Clarence Theis Missing From Lewistown

Missing since 22cd November 2003

Lloyd Rd, Winifred, MT 59489, USA

Open case file →
Alfred Nicholas Kochendorfer Vanished From Butte

Alfred Nicholas Kochendorfer Vanished From Butte

Missing since 27th October 2000

18748-18886 Walling Rd, Palmer, AK 99645, USA

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Barbara Assunta Bolick Vanished From Bear Creek Overlook Trail

Barbara Assunta Bolick Vanished From Bear Creek Overlook Trail

Missing since 18th July 2007

Bear Cr Overlook Trail Rd, Montana 59875, USA

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Ruthanne Ruppert Missing From Yosemite Medical Clinic

Ruthanne Ruppert Missing From Yosemite Medical Clinic

Missing since 14th August 2000

9000 Ahwahnee Drive, Yosemite Valley, CA 95389, USA

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Brandon Swanson vanished in May 2008. His last words were oh shit.

Brandon Swanson vanished in May 2008. His last words were oh shit.

Missing since 14th May 2008

JVGH+2Q, Porter, MN 56280, USA

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John Gunn Missing From Yosemite Found 5 Weeks Later

John Gunn Missing From Yosemite Found 5 Weeks Later

Missing since 28th July 1967

9017 Village Dr, Yosemite Valley, CA 95389, USA

Open case file →
Stacy Ann Arras Vanished In Yosemite

Stacy Ann Arras Vanished In Yosemite

Missing since 17th July 1981

California, USA

Open case file →
Barry Joel Tragen Missing From Kintla Lake

Barry Joel Tragen Missing From Kintla Lake

Missing since 22cd July 2020

Kintla Lake Rd, Polebridge, MT 59928, USA

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Gerrish Family Found Dead With Dog

Gerrish Family Found Dead With Dog

Missing since 16th August 2021

7199 Savage-Lundy Trail, Mariposa, CA 95338, USA

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Derrick Engebretson - Missing From Winema National Forest

Derrick Engebretson - Missing From Winema National Forest

Missing since 5th December 1998

Pelican Butte, Oregon 97601, USA

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Jack Forest Thomas Missing From Fern Falls Area

Jack Forest Thomas Missing From Fern Falls Area

Missing since 15th June 2016

Idaho Centennial Trail, United States

Open case file →
Jeff Estes Missing In Yosemite

Jeff Estes Missing In Yosemite

Missing since 24th May 1976

May Lake, California, USA

Open case file →
Jason Lee Lovelady disappeared from near Elbow Lake whilst gathering pine cones

Jason Lee Lovelady disappeared from near Elbow Lake whilst gathering pine cones

Missing since 15th October 2013

NF-12, Concrete, WA 98237, USA

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Thelma Pauline Melton was with two friends hiking when she crested a hill on the trail and vanished

Thelma Pauline Melton was with two friends hiking when she crested a hill on the trail and vanished

Missing since 25th September 1981

FHFC+4F Bryson City, NC, USA

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Jeffrey Michael Bratcher is missing and was last seen in Ocean Shores

Jeffrey Michael Bratcher is missing and was last seen in Ocean Shores

Missing since 15th of June 1974

Ocean Shores, WA, USA

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Michael Allen Ficery - Missing In Yosemite National Park

Michael Allen Ficery - Missing In Yosemite National Park

Missing since 15th June 2005

Tiltill Mountain, California, USA

Open case file →
The Disappearance of Joseph B. Labonte Jr. at Baxter State Park

The Disappearance of Joseph B. Labonte Jr. at Baxter State Park

Missing since 11/08/1938

South Branch Pond area, Baxter State Park, Piscataquis County, Maine, USA

Open case file →
Daniel Lynn Campbell Vanished - Last Seen Hellroaring Creek Trailhead

Daniel Lynn Campbell Vanished - Last Seen Hellroaring Creek Trailhead

Missing since 6th April 1991

Hellroaring Creek, Yellowstone National Park, United States

Open case file →
Steve Martin vanished whilst out running. His body would be found a year later

Steve Martin vanished whilst out running. His body would be found a year later

Missing since 16th August 1975

WA 99119, USA

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Deborah Jean Swanson vanished from the Tubbs Hill trail. She was never found.

Deborah Jean Swanson vanished from the Tubbs Hill trail. She was never found.

Missing since 29th March 1986

Tubbs Hill Trail Marker, e 83814, 1080 E Lakeshore Dr, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814, USA

Open case file →
Incoming tray

Recently filed

The latest records added to the archive desk.

The Disappearance of Kenneth Eugene Miller Near Crater Lake

Missing since 1966

Last known: Crater Lake National Park area, Klamath County, Oregon, USA

The Disappearance of Joseph B. Labonte Jr. at Baxter State Park

Missing since 11/08/1938

Last known: South Branch Pond area, Baxter State Park, Piscataquis County, Maine, USA

The Disappearance of Paul “Buddy” Jepson Jr.

Missing since 12/10/1950

Last known: Bennington, Bennington County, Vermont, USA

The Disappearance and Death of Jacob Gray in Olympic National Park

Missing since 05/04/2017

Last known: Sol Duc Hot Springs Road

The Disappearance of Thomas Messick: Veteran Hunter Vanishes in New York's Adirondacks

Missing since 15/11/2015

Last known: Lily Pond area, Lake George Wild Forest, near Brant Lake, Horicon, Warren County, New York

The Disappearance of Gerry Largay: Lost on Maine’s Appalachian Trail

Missing since 22/07/2013

Last known: Appalachian Trail, Franklin County, Maine, USA

Charles Robert Rutherford Missing From Presque Isle

Missing since 12th August 2005

Last known: 1 Peter White Dr, Marquette, MI 49855, USA

Cian McLaughlin vanished whilst out on a hike near Delta Lake

Missing since 12th June 2021

Last known: Garnet Canyon Trail

Filing cabinet

Parks and regions

Open a drawer to browse recurring locations across the archive.

Last-known locations

The case map

Explore the places where each documented trail went quiet.

Every point represents a person who entered the wilderness and never came home.