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 1 month

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.

Nelson Paisley Missing From Merced River

Nelson Paisley Missing From Merced River

Missing since 31st May 1969

El Portal Rd, Wawona, CA 95389, 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 →
Gilbert Mark Gilman Missing In Staircase Olympic National Park

Gilbert Mark Gilman Missing In Staircase Olympic National Park

Missing since 26th June 2006

Staircase Ranger Station, Hoodsport, WA, USA

Open case file →
James Arthur Missing From Iron Lakes

James Arthur Missing From Iron Lakes

Missing since 28th July 2008

Iron Lakes, California 93604, 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

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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

Open case file →
The Disappearance of Thomas Messick: Veteran Hunter Vanishes in New York's Adirondacks

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

Missing since 15/11/2015

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

Open case file →
Patricia Colyer went missing and was last seen leaving her mothers home with a strange woman

Patricia Colyer went missing and was last seen leaving her mothers home with a strange woman

Missing since 14th July 1986

Tacoma, WA, 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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Kenneth Klein Missing From Yosemite National Park

Kenneth Klein Missing From Yosemite National Park

Missing since 29th July 1967

Yosemite Valley Visitors Center, Yosemite Valley, CA 95389, USA

Open case file →
James Duffy vanished from a locked campervan at Peavine Creek

James Duffy vanished from a locked campervan at Peavine Creek

Missing since 19th October 1973

V27G+33 Berne, WA, USA

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Robert Perry Bissell left his campsite and vanished into the Roaring River Wilderness Area

Robert Perry Bissell left his campsite and vanished into the Roaring River Wilderness Area

Missing since 24th July 2010

Rock Lakes, Oregon 97023, USA

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Jason Andrew Knapp Missing From Table Rock State Park

Jason Andrew Knapp Missing From Table Rock State Park

Missing since 21st April 1998

Table Rock State Park, 158 E Ellison Ln, Pickens, SC 29671, USA

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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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Dikran Knadjian Missing From Curry Village Yosemite

Dikran Knadjian Missing From Curry Village Yosemite

Missing since 24th July 1972

Half Dome Village, Yosemite Valley, CA 95389, USA

Open case file →
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 →
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

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Susan Seymour Adams Vanished From Battle Lake, Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness

Susan Seymour Adams Vanished From Battle Lake, Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness

Missing since 30th September 1990

Battle Lake, Idaho 83539, USA

Open case file →
Peter Jackson - Vanished From White Wolf Campground

Peter Jackson - Vanished From White Wolf Campground

Missing since 21st September 2016

White Wolf Campground, Yosemite Valley, CA 95389, 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 →
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.