Fred Werm Comstock Missing in Yosemite National Park
We have limited information on the disappearance of Fred Werm Comstock. If you have verifiable details that can expand this listing, please email site”-at-“vanished.us.
Who Was Fred Comstock?
Fred Comstock was 19 years old, approximately 5'11"–6'1", and weighed 150–165 lbs. He was hiking in Yosemite National Park with a woman he had recently met and her young son.
The group reached Vogelsang High Sierra Camp, where they reportedly agreed on a plan:
- Fred would hike back to Tuolumne Meadows
- Retrieve the woman’s car
- Drive it to Yosemite Valley
- And meet them there
This was the point of separation.
Fred was never seen again.
His personal belongings — including his wallet — were later found inside the vehicle. This strongly suggests he never reached the car, and whatever happened occurred somewhere between Vogelsang and Tuolumne Meadows.
Vanished.us Says
This case raises immediate logistical questions.
1. The route makes no sense
Using the map:
- Fred’s route back to the car (shown in black) is relatively direct.
- The woman’s route to Yosemite Valley (shown in red) is much longer — more than twice the distance.
If the plan was truly to meet in Yosemite Valley, Fred would have arrived hours before the others. The timing simply doesn’t line up.
2. Why split up at all?
They were hiking together. They were not in an emergency. There was no reported reason to divide the group.
Splitting up in the backcountry — especially with someone you barely know — is unusual.
3. The shortcut problem
If Fred attempted to “cut the corner” to save time, the only plausible shortcut is the area marked in black on the map. That terrain is steep, complex, and full of drainages where a fall could go unseen.
If an accident occurred, it likely happened there.
4. The unanswered questions
Because the story relies entirely on the surviving hiker’s account, we have:
- No independent witnesses
- No confirmed sightings of Fred after Vogelsang
- No physical evidence
- No recovered gear
- No remains
The only fixed point in the timeline is the car — and Fred never reached it.
This is one of those Yosemite disappearances where the narrative itself is the biggest red flag. Not because it implicates anyone, but because the logistics don’t add up.
- The plan was inefficient.
- The timing was unrealistic.
- The separation was unnecessary.
- The route was long and remote.
- And the only person who knows the full story is the one who returned.
None of that proves anything, but it leaves a lot of unanswered questions.
Fred Comstock walked away from Vogelsang High Sierra Camp and vanished somewhere between there and Tuolumne Meadows. His wallet, his belongings, and the car he was supposed to retrieve were untouched.