John Gunn & Kenneth Klein Vanished in Yosemite
The listings for John Gunn and Kenneth Klein are intentionally identical—because two young men vanished, and both deserve to be recorded. Only one was ever found. Kenneth Klein remains missing.
These cases are among the strangest in Yosemite’s history. The more you examine them, the more they drift into the realm of the inexplicable.
Two Friends, One Shift, One Plan
John Gunn, 19, from Richmond, California, and Kenneth Klein, 23, from San Antonio, Texas, were both employees of the Yosemite Park & Curry Co. They worked at the Chevron service station in Yosemite Valley. They hadn’t known each other long, but they’d become close friends.
On July 28th, 1967, around 10:30 AM, they spoke with a Seventh‑day Adventist minister who was planning to hike toward Yosemite Falls. They discussed meeting at the top.
That was the last confirmed sighting of either man.
The Disappearance
John was scheduled to work the 11 PM shift that night. He never showed.
Neither man returned to their tent. Neither man reported for work the next morning. Their roommate, Greg Jackson, hadn’t seen them.
They were reported missing on July 29th.
The Yosemite Sentinel wrote:
“Ken Klein, 23, and John Gunn, 19… were considering a hike to Pinnacle Peak when they were last seen on Friday, July 28, at 10:30 a.m… They were planning to return before dinner, as John had to work the late shift… When neither of the two reported in for work on Saturday… a search party was formed.”
Clues Found
Searchers located:
- Ken’s vehicle was parked behind the service station
- John’s motorcycle was about a mile west of El Capitan Bridge
The theory: they staged the motorcycle where they expected to finish their hike, so they could ride it back to the car.
A week‑long search followed—ground teams, canines, and a massive sweep of the area. Nothing else was found.
Discovery of John Gunn’s Body
On September 5th, 1967—38 days after the disappearance—two brothers spotted a body floating in a pool just above Yosemite Falls.
The body wore:
- khaki shorts
- tennis shoes
No shirt. No jacket. No pack. No wallet. No identification.
The Madera Tribune reported the recovery and noted that the body was believed to be one of the missing men.
The autopsy found:
- a broken neck
- death by drowning
This raises immediate questions.
The Impossible Timeline
John Gunn vanished on July 29th. His body was found on September 5th. That’s 38 days.
The pool where he was found is:
- heavily visited
- visible from multiple angles
- searched repeatedly during the initial SAR operation
A body cannot remain in such a pool for 38 days without being seen. A submerged body would float within 3–4 days due to decomposition gases.
So:
Where was John Gunn between July 29th and September 5th?
How did he break his neck?
How did he drown?
Where are the rest of his clothes?
Where is Kenneth Klein?
No other evidence has ever surfaced. No bones. No clothing. No gear.
Vanished.us Says
There is no way John’s body was in that pool for 38 days.
If you examine the area on satellite imagery, the pools are small, exposed, and constantly visited. Even if submerged, the body would have floated within days.
So how did he get there?
There are only two realistic possibilities:
1. He was placed there.
By whom? When? Why? And where was he before that?
2. His body entered the pool from upstream.
But the terrain above the pool is rocky, broken, and impassable without a major flood. Historical weather shows only drizzle from August 22–31. Not enough to move a body through that terrain.
The broken neck complicates things further. A fall from height could do it—but then why wasn’t he found earlier? And why was he missing for over a month?
And then there’s the biggest question:
Where is Kenneth Klein?
Two men go missing. One appears 38 days later in a place he could not have been the entire time. The other is never found.
There is no logical explanation that ties all of this together neatly.
Vanished Forums
What do you think happened to John Gunn and Kenneth Klein? Why did they vanish? How did John die? Where is Kenneth?
If you want to contribute information or discuss theories, join the Vanished Forums.