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 2 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.

Robert Willis Vanished Whilst Hunting At Deer Creek

Robert Willis Vanished Whilst Hunting At Deer Creek

Missing since 1st November 2008

3VFW+H4 Dinkey Creek, CA, USA

Open case file →
Donald Buchanan Missing From Half Dome Yosemite

Donald Buchanan Missing From Half Dome Yosemite

Missing since 11th August 1988

Half Dome Trail, Yosemite Village, CA 95389, USA

Open case file →
Paula Jean Welden vanished hiking The Long Trail in December 1946

Paula Jean Welden vanished hiking The Long Trail in December 1946

Missing since 1st December 1946

7429+7P, Fayston, VT, USA

Open case file →
Joel Thomazin - Missing From Hetch Hetchy Area

Joel Thomazin - Missing From Hetch Hetchy Area

Missing since 6th September 2021

Lake Eleanor Rd, California 95321, 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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John Blevins Cogdell - Unexplained Death In Yosemite

John Blevins Cogdell - Unexplained Death In Yosemite

Missing since 15th August 2018

Upper Pines Campground, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Yosemite Valley, CA 95389, USA

Open case file →
The Disappearance of Kenneth Eugene Miller Near Crater Lake

The Disappearance of Kenneth Eugene Miller Near Crater Lake

Missing since 1966

Crater Lake National Park area, Klamath County, Oregon, USA

Open case file →
Tom Opperman Missing From Merced Lake Yosemite

Tom Opperman Missing From Merced Lake Yosemite

Missing since 10th of August 1967

Merced Lake, California, USA

Open case file →
Cassie Sheetz Missing From Spruce Knob, Huckleberry Trail

Cassie Sheetz Missing From Spruce Knob, Huckleberry Trail

Missing since 21st March 2021

Forest Rd 104, West Virginia 26814, USA

Open case file →
Terrence Woods Vanished From Penman Mine, Idaho

Terrence Woods Vanished From Penman Mine, Idaho

Missing since 5th October 2018

Penman Mine, Idaho 83525, USA

Open case file →
Stuart Isaac's vehicle was found abandoned. Stuart Isaac is still missing.

Stuart Isaac's vehicle was found abandoned. Stuart Isaac is still missing.

Missing since 26th September 2010

Craig Pass, Wyoming 82190, USA

Open case file →
The Disappearance of Gerry Largay: Lost on Maine’s Appalachian Trail

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

Missing since 22/07/2013

Appalachian Trail, Franklin County, Maine, USA

Open case file →
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

Open case file →
Cian McLaughlin vanished whilst out on a hike near Delta Lake

Cian McLaughlin vanished whilst out on a hike near Delta Lake

Missing since 12th June 2021

Garnet Canyon Trail

Open case file →
The Disappearance of Paul “Buddy” Jepson Jr.

The Disappearance of Paul “Buddy” Jepson Jr.

Missing since 12/10/1950

Bennington, Bennington County, Vermont, USA

Open case file →
Fred Werm Comstock Missing From Vogelsang High Sierra Camp

Fred Werm Comstock Missing From Vogelsang High Sierra Camp

Missing since 1st September 1975

Vogelsang High Sierra Camp, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CA, USA

Open case file →
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

Open case file →
The Missing German Death Valley Family

The Missing German Death Valley Family

Missing since 27 July 1996

Warm Spring Canyon, California, USA

Open case file →
Bruce Pike last seen at Indian Creek Campground

Bruce Pike last seen at Indian Creek Campground

Missing since 2cd Aug 2006

Indian Creek Campground, Yellowstone National Park, WY, USA

Open case file →
David Paul Morrison Missing From Half Dome Yosemite National Park

David Paul Morrison Missing From Half Dome Yosemite National Park

Missing since 25th May 1998

Half Dome, California, 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.