Yellowstone National Park, a landscape of breathtaking
beauty, geothermal wonders and untamed wilderness, also harbors
unsettling secrets. Over the decades, a handful of
visitors and even park staff have vanished without a trace in
these wild lands. While most lost persons are
eventually found safe or recovered, a small number of
disappearances have never been solved.
The reasons are as varied and mysterious as the park itself.
Treacherous terrain, deadly wildlife, natural hazards, and
some whisper, perhaps, stranger forces at play.
In a park visited by over 4 million people a year, it seems
impossible that anyone could simply disappear forever.
Yet deep in Yellowstone's 2.2 million acres of wilderness,
there are places where humans step in and never step out.
Yellowstone's sheer scale and harsh conditions can turn a
simple misstep or misfortune into a life or death crisis.
Former Park Rangers note that many vanishings likely stem from
accidents, people wandering off trail, falling into geothermal
springs, swift rivers or succumbing to the elements.
Accidents happen, but I think criminal activity is probably
exceedingly, exceedingly rare, says retired Ranger Richard
Jones. Wild animals, too, might leave
little evidence behind. If you die off in this part of
the country, your body is not going to stay around long, Jones
adds, noting that bears, wolves, coyotes and other scavengers can
quickly scour any remains. Yet the unsolved cases invite
theories beyond ordinary accidents.
In this documentary style exploration, we delve into real
life disappearances in Yellowstone, focusing on modern
cases, mostly post 2000. Loaded with eerie twists and
unanswered questions, we'll recount each case in chilling
detail, blending true crime investigation with a touch of
horror. Along the way, we'll hear from
Park Rangers, search and rescue experts, and family members of
the missing whose interviews shed light on the agony of not
knowing. And we'll examine the swirl of
speculation that surrounds these cases, From plausible scenarios
like bear attacks to more outlandish theories of
government cover ups and supernatural forces lurking in
the forest, brace yourself for a journey into Yellowstone's most
disturbing mysteries. Each story stands on its own.
A Boy Scout swallowed by a river.
A hiker's foot boiled in a hot spring.
Entire camps found deserted. Yet together they form a
haunting question. How can people vanish in one of
the most popular parks on earth? And what really happened to
them? Case One The antler Hunter Dan
Campbell 1991 Our first case takes us to the remote Hell
Roaring Creek Trailhead. April 1991 A 42 year old
outdoorsman sets off into the Yellowstone Backcountry and is
never seen again. Dan Campbell was an avid
outdoorsman from Montana, known to friends as a seasoned hunter
of shed elk antlers. On April 4th, 1991, Campbell's
girlfriend dropped him and his trusty dog Freckles at the Hell
Roaring Creek trailhead on the parks northern fringe.
He planned a four day trek northward to Jardine, Montana,
scouting for prized antlers shed by elk, an activity illegal
inside the park but tempting due to the lucrative black market
for antlers. When Dan failed to show up at
the rendezvous point on April 8th, his girlfriend reported him
missing. Park Rangers initiated what's
known as a bastard search, first confirming that Dan was truly
missing and not simply delayed. Once verified, Yellowstone
mobilized ground teams, horseback searchers, and
helicopters to comb the rugged area.
Spring weather bedeviled the searchers.
Sudden snowstorms dumped up to a foot of snow, obscuring trails
in any tracks. For weeks, they scoured 7
different zones of the park, fighting through drifts and
scanning from the air, finding no trace of Dan or his dog.
Not a single piece of clothing, gear, or any sign of an attack
turned up. It was as if man and dog had
vanished into thin air. Interview Park Ranger.
We threw everything we had at that search, 1 Ranger recalls.
Helicopters, canine teams, dozens of us on foot.
But the snow kept coming. We'd see cougar tracks, bear
tracks, but nothing of Dan. It was frustrating and eerie.
With no body or evidence, theories began to swirl.
Investigators learned Dan had been deeply involved in the
competitive antler hunting scene, which in the 1990s had a
dark side. Infamous antler wars between
poachers were described in Outside magazine, rival horn
hunters staking out territory with semi automatic weapons and
threats of violence. Could Dan have crossed paths
with the wrong people? One possibility was that Dan
fell into one of the area's countless hidden ravines or even
an old mine shaft. Relics dot that region, or that
he surprised a grizzly bear and was killed.
A fatal wildlife attack could leave little to recover if
scavengers scattered remains but no torn clothing or blood was
ever found. Others speculated Dan might have
slipped into the Yellowstone River or a Creek and been swept
away, though his route was mostly upland, or suffered a
medical emergency in a remote spot.
A severe injury could mean succumbing to hypothermia
overnight. The weather was still winter,
like at high elevations. Some whispered that Dan, facing
personal pressures, might have faked his disappearance.
Rumors surfaced that he had debts he wanted to escape.
Did he stage a vanishing act to start a new life?
Those who knew him found this out of character, and Dan left
no evidence of such planning, bank accounts untouched,
etcetera. Dan's family gravitated to a
darker theory that he met with foul play at the hands of
illegal antler poachers. In fact, Dan's brother, Bill
Campbell launched his own investigation.
Bill told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle that 14 other horn
hunters were known to be in that area the day Dan disappeared,
and one reported hearing 2 gunshots echo through the woods.
This chilling detail raised the specter of Dan being shot,
perhaps over territorial dispute or theft.
Bill Campbell's push led to some investigation by authorities.
Records later revealed that by July 1991, both a private
investigator hired by Dan's family and Montana's Criminal
Investigation Bureau were on the case.
The local sheriff did find two men who'd been horn hunting
illegally near Yellowstone's boundary at that time, he
confiscated their camping gear and even some spent rifle
cartridges, suspecting they might be connected.
However, in a controversial move, the sheriff returned the
gear to the men before any forensic testing was done on the
evidence. No fingerprints, no ballistic
analysis. A potentially critical lead was
lost. Dan's three brothers were
outraged and later sued the Park County Sheriff's Office,
claiming the investigation was botched.
The lawsuit was eventually dismissed, but it left lingering
questions. Had crucial evidence literally
slipped through investigators fingers.
Quote family member. In the absence of answers, you
grasp at anything. One of Dan's brothers said in a
later interview. We heard a report of gunshots in
the area. We know there were unsavory
characters out there after those antlers.
We absolutely believe Dan ran into trouble, human trouble out
there. To this day, no remains or
belongings of Dan Campbell or his dog Freckles have ever been
found. His disappearance remains an
open cold case, the only official Yellowstone missing
person case listed in the National Park Service database
from that era. The hell Roaring Wilderness
keeps its secrets well. A sudden Blizzard.
A hidden Canyon or a deadly human confrontation?
34 years later, Dan Campbell's fate is still unknown.
Locked in Yellowstone's vast expanse, his family still
wonders, and an empty file remains on the park shelf
labeled Missing. Daniel Campbell, 1991 Case two
Boy Scout lost to the River Luke Sandberg 2005.
Our next case jumps to the mid 2000s and highlights the raw
power of Yellowstone's environment.
In June 2005, a Boy Scout troop summer adventure turned into a
nightmare when 13 year old Luke Sandberg was swept away by the
Yellowstone River in full view of his friends and never seen
again. Scene Setting June 24th, 2005
Luke Sandberg of Helena, Mt was on a camping trip with six
fellow Scouts and three adult leaders camped near the northern
boundary of the park, not far from Gardner.
The boys were playing by the Yellowstone River, pushing logs
into the swift water for fun. Around 11:00 AM, Luke was
helping shove one particularly large log when it suddenly swung
around and clipped his legs, knocking him off balance
directly into the icy torrent. The adults and scouts watched in
horror as Luke was swept into the fast flowing current, his
head still above water as he was carried toward a stretch of
Rapids. Within moments, the 13 year old
disappeared from sight around a bend.
The river, swollen with late spring snowmelt an estimated at
only 50°F, was extremely dangerous, unswimmable.
As incident commander Tim Reed later told Luke's family, a
scout master raced downstream along the bank but could not
keep up. In the space of a minute, the
Yellowstone River had taken Luke.
Rescue efforts began immediately.
Park Rangers, county search and rescue and even local volunteers
mobilized along a 14 mile stretch of the river downstream.
For three days, they scoured the river's banks, shallows and log
jams on foot, by boat and from helicopters.
Tragically, the river's force and opacity yielded almost
nothing. The only clue was truly
heartbreaking. One of Luke's sneakers was found
caught on a snag about 5 miles downstream the next day, and the
other shoe discovered the following day a little further
along. Aside from those tennis shoes,
which family confirmed were Luke's, no other trace of him
was ever found. By the third day, hope had
faded. At a tearful meeting with
rescuers, Luke's relatives acknowledged the grim reality.
The family has come to the acceptance of not finding Luke
alive, his aunt Jeanne Le told the search teams, her voice
cracking. The search shifted from rescue
to recovery, but even that recovery never came.
In the days after, one can imagine the eerie stillness by
the river at night, the same spot bustling with scouts
laughter just 48 hours before. Now quiet except for the roar of
Rapids. The Yellowstone River, with its
bone chilling cold and relentless current, seemed to
simply swallow a 13 year old boy whole.
Experienced Rangers were stunned that even a body never surfaced.
One explained that the river's underwater terrain, full of deep
holes, rocks and snarled tree trunks, can easily pin and hold
a body underwater indefinitely. The Canyon waters were so
turbulent that recovery divers could not be safely deployed.
Expert quote incident commander. The conditions were just too
extreme. The water was high and fast,
essentially unsurvivable, Incident Commander Tim Reed
reported. He briefed Luke's family that
survival was unlikely after minutes in those Rapids, given
the cold shock and hydraulic forces.
Though Luke's fate is not a mystery in the sense of lacking
A cause, it's almost certain he drowned.
The total absence of his remains lends this case an unsettling
aura. Yellowstone, in this instance,
did what nature often does. It kept its silence.
To this day, hikers along that stretch of the Yellowstone River
occasionally pay silent respects at the water's edge, knowing
somewhere in that wild river lies the boy who never came home
from his Scout trip. Locals have since told quiet
stories around campfires, saying Luke's spirit lives on in the
Yellowstone River. Some of his fellow Scouts, now
adults, recount that when they return to that site years later,
they felt a sudden chill and a sense of presence as the river
rushed by. Rationally, we know what
happened. An accident, a tragic force of
nature. But the horror in this story is
how unforgiving Yellowstone can be.
A fun moment turned fatal in a literal heartbeat.
It's a sober reminder that even shallow looking waters can hide
deadly currents. And unlike most crime tales,
there is no culprit but nature itself, and no closure for a
family besides a pair of empty sneakers.
Case 3 The Unseen Predator Bruce Pike 2006 Just one year after
Luke's disappearance, Yellowstone saw another
vanishing, one that would receive almost no publicity at
the time. A lone camper from Texas drove
into the park and was never heard from again.
In early August 2006, Bruce Parker Pike, age 47, left his
home state of Texas for a solo trip to Yellowstone.
Little is known about his journey, whom he met, or what he
did when he arrived. What we do know is that on
August 2nd, 2006, Bruce was last seen at the Indian Creek
Campground inside Yellowstone. This small, rustic campground
sits amid forested terrain in the northwest section of the
park, a place frequented by both tent campers and wildlife.
When Bruce failed to return from his vacation, his family alerted
authorities. Rangers soon discovered his
vehicle abandoned at Indian Creek, parked and empty.
Inside the car, nothing seemed obviously amiss, but Bruce Pike
was gone. A search of the vicinity turned
up no sign of him. It's unclear how extensive the
search was, as his disappearance oddly never made national
headlines or park press releases.
In fact, investigators later noted that Bruce's case does not
appear to have been publicized by the media or recorded in park
news releases at all. He was, in essence, a quiet
missing person, known mainly to law enforcement and missing
person databases. Context and theories Indian
Creek is known among park regulars for its scenic beauty
and its frequent bear activity. Both black bears and Grizzlies
roam that area, drawn by streams and pine forests.
Historically, there have been enough bear encounters there
that the campground occasionally closes for safety.
For instance, Rangers recall an incident in 1986 when a camper
was injured by a mother grizzly defending her cub near Indian
Creek, prompting a temporary closure.
More recently, in 2019, black bears in the park raided
campsites in that region, even biting a woman through her tent
in one case. Given this backdrop, one leading
theory is that Bruce fell victim to a bear attack that left
little evidence. A hungry or threatened bear can
attack and then drag remains far from a campsite.
Scavengers could scatter traces in a matter of days.
However, no blood, torn clothing or disturbed campsite was
reported in Bruce's case, at least not publicly.
If Bruce had gone for a day hike from the campground and suffered
an accident, say a fall or medical emergency, his remains
might have been similarly scavenged or remain hidden in
dense timber. Yellowstone's terrain has
countless nooks where a person could lie undiscovered.
Could Bruce have deliberately disappeared?
He was far from home with a vehicle left behind, making an
intentional vanishing difficult. Unless he had outside help,
there's no known indication he wanted to disappear.
By all accounts, he was an ordinary visitor on vacation.
The lack of information itself is haunting.
Few details are available in Pike's case, notes the Charlie
Project, which tracks missing persons.
Texas authorities even assisted, suggesting they looked into his
background and found no obvious red flags.
Picture the Indian Creek campground, dappled in late
summer sunlight. Tents stand empty in the
afternoon as campers hike or fish.
A lone car sits at a site, keys still in the ignition.
Perhaps, but its owner has vanished.
Did something stalk Bruce Pike in the woods, leaving only
silence behind? Without witnesses, Bruce's fate
is pure conjecture. The bear attack theory stands
out because of the location's history.
One can imagine Bruce taking an evening stroll, crossing paths
with a quietly foraging grizzly, fattening up for winter, a
startled charge, a struggle, and then the forest resetting to
calm as night falls with nobody around to see or hear a thing.
Park investigators impounded Bruce's vehicle and notified
Texas law enforcement. They kept the case open, but
nothing new ever surfaced. As of the latest records, Bruce
Parker Pike remains missing, one of just a handful of people to
vanish in Yellowstone and never be found.
Interview missing persons expert.
A National Park Service agent later commented on cases like
Bruce's. When someone goes missing and
there's no evidence, we're essentially looking for a needle
in an endless haystack, he said. Unless a hiker stumbles on a
skull or something, these cases can remain unsolved
indefinitely. For Bruce's family, the lack of
answers is the hardest part. Did he suffer?
Was it quick? Will they ever know?
Yellowstone's authorities quietly closed active search
operations after a time. But Bruce's file isn't closed.
It's classified as lost or injured, missing, unsolved.
In local lore, Bruce's story is sometimes recounted as a
cautionary tale around campfires.
Don't wander from camp alone at dusk, an old Ranger might warn.
Remember that fellow from Texas? He went into those woods and
never came out. Case for the Plunge into the
Abyss Nicholas Mostert, 2009 Yellowstone's Grand Canyon area
draws millions to its stunning waterfalls, but in June 2009 it
became the site of a disturbing and very public disappearance.
Nicholas Jeffrey Mostert, a 20 year old from Utah, vanished
after leaping into the Yellowstone River in front of
shocked onlookers. Unlike other cases, this one had
witnesses to the critical moment.
Yet the aftermath was equally unsettling as Nicholas's body
was never recovered. June 16th, 2009 Tourists packed
the observation decks at the brink of the Lower Falls, a
majestic 308 foot waterfall that thunders into the Grand Canyon
of Yellowstone. Around 4:20 PM, without warning,
a young man, later identified as Mostert, climbed over the
railing on one of the viewing platforms.
Gasps and screams rang out as he stood momentarily on the edge
and then jumped forward into the void.
In an instant, he was swept up in the torrents of the
Yellowstone River. Which was raging with
approximately 6000 cubic feet per second of water flow at that
time. Swollen by heavy runoff, he
plunged over the towering lower falls, disappearing in the mist
and churning waters below. Bystanders were frozen in
disbelief. Some scrambled to alert park
staff. It was an apparent suicide
committed in one of the parks most scenic and deadly
locations. Rangers responded immediately.
Within hours, teams rappelled into the Canyon downstream of
the falls. They carefully searched the
riverbanks and eddies at the base of the waterfall.
They found only a few personal items.
Some of Nicholas's clothing snagged in an Eddy about 1/4
mile downstream. A shoe here, a piece of fabric
there, swirling in calmer pockets while the main current
roared by. Tragically, Nicholas's body
itself was nowhere to be seen. Given the tremendous force of
the waterfall and the depth of the Canyon pool, which can
exceed 30 feet, searchers knew the odds of recovery.
Over the next days, they scoured further downstream by helicopter
and on foot, but nothing else was ever found.
Park officials announced that the individual who jumped was
likely mustered A visitor from Salt Lake City, and that
evidence pointed to a deliberate act.
This wasn't an accidental fall. It was witnessed as an
intentional jump, making it a heartbreaking but closed case in
terms of cause of death. Yet even as the factual
narrative is clear, the eerie element remains.
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone claimed another soul that day
and in a very literal sense, consumed him.
The idea of vanishing into a thundering waterfall has a
primal horror to it. Those who were there reportedly
had nightmares of the scene, the young man's final fateful leap
replaying in their minds. One can imagine Nicholas's last
perspective, standing on that ledge with the deafening sound
of the falls, looking down into the swirling abyss known aptly
as Abyss Pool at the base. It's a terrifying panorama,
rainbows in the mist, but also the certainty of death below.
Then the step into emptiness, a park spokesperson said of the
event. This is a tragic situation.
We conducted extensive search operations, but given the force
of the falls and river, it's not surprising we could not recover
him. The canyons, ruggedness and the
river's power essentially erased Nicholas Mostert.
Unlike other disappearances, foul play or accident aren't
factors here. However, in hushed
conversations, some visitors pondered supernatural angles.
The Native American lore of the area includes water spirits.
Could something have lured him? Others recall that Yellowstone's
canyons have seen past suicides or attempts.
Did an unseen pattern or energy contribute?
These musings edge into the paranormal, but they under score
how unsettling the event was for witnesses.
For our purposes, Nicholas's story adds A sobering dimension.
Not all Yellowstone vanishings are mysterious in cause.
But even when the cause is known, the park can still keep
the body as its secret. The waterfall gave no answers
back Case 5 The Mysterious Lexus Stewart Isaac 2010 Early autumn
of 2010 brought one of Yellowstone's most perplexing
disappearances, a case brimming with unanswered questions and
odd clues. Stewart Isaac, a 48 year old man
from Maryland, embarked on a solo cross country drive that
September, destination Yellowstone National Park.
Stewart was not an experienced outdoorsman, which made what
happened all the more baffling. Stewart left his home in
Burtonsville, MD on September 6th, 2010, leaving behind a note
for his family saying he was going on a cross country road
trip. There was no specific mention of
Yellowstone, but on September 24th he phoned a high school
friend in Guam, an unusual call for him, and chatted for two
hours. During this call, Stewart
mentioned he was on route to Yellowstone, surprising his
friends since they rarely talked on the phone and usually only
emailed or texted. That call would be the last time
anyone heard from Stuart Isaac. Two days later, on September
26th, 2010, tourists driving along the Grand Loop Rd. the
main circuit through Yellowstone, noticed a car
parked in an odd spot at Craig Pass, a high mountain pass
between Old Faithful and West Thumb.
The car, a black 2009 Lexus with vanity plates reading Belleck,
was found abandoned on the roadside.
Rangers responded and discovered the Lexus was unlocked, keys
still in the ignition and no sign of the driver, Stewart.
Notably, Craig Pass is not near any visitor center or obvious
trail head. It's a pull out area with no
services, sitting at around 8200 feet elevation amid forests and
meadows. There were no hiking trail heads
in the immediate vicinity of where the car was found.
For a man with no experience hiking or camping, it was
extremely odd that he'd stop there.
Yellowstone Rangers launched an extensive search around Craig
Pass. They combed the woods nearby
Shoshone Lake shoreline and the trails miles away, thinking
perhaps he wandered despite the lack of trails.
Nothing. No footprints, no clothing
scraps, no scent for dogs to follow.
It was as if Stuart walked into the forest a short way and the
trees swallowed him whole. Investigators dug into his
background for clues. Stewart was a native of the
Pacific island nation of Palau, A stocky man, 5 foot 8, about
220 lbs, with three tattoos and no known wilderness interests.
He had left on this trip alone. The phone call to Guam was
puzzling. He suddenly reached out to an
old friend, almost as if for a final conversation, and the
friend later noted how unusual and lengthy the call was.
Possible scenarios, Self harm, intent.
Some who study the case wonder if Stuart chose Yellowstone as
the final stop in a plan to end his life.
He may have driven to that serene remote pass, left his
keys, perhaps symbolically leaving his life behind, and
then walked off into the wilderness to succumb to the
elements or take his life in another manner.
The two hour farewell call could be interpreted as him tying up
loose emotional ends. However, no note was found
beyond the trip note at home and no evidence of self harm was
discovered in the search area. Accident or disorientation?
It's possible Stewart stopped at Craig Pass simply because
something caught his eye. Maybe a beautiful spot or even
wildlife. If he walked into the woods and
got turned around, he could have quickly gotten lost with no
trail. The dense lodge pole Pines can
become disorienting. If he kept walking, he might
have gotten so deep that initial search grids missed him.
If he had a medical emergency out of sight of the road, his
remains could have been scattered by animals by the time
searches fanned out far enough. Foul play or strange encounter?
This is more on the speculative side.
There were no signs of struggle at the car, and robbery seems
unlikely. The car and presumably valuables
in it were intact. Could he have met someone on the
road who harmed him? It's a remote area for a crime,
and nothing suggests foul play except the sheer mystery.
One fringe theory. Craig Pass has geothermal
features and some creeks. Could he have stepped or fallen
into a hot spring or hidden fumarole?
Unlikely right by the road. But Yellowstone has taken lives
in such ways. More on that in the next case.
Authorities from Maryland even joined the investigation.
But by winter of 2010, Stuart Isaac had vanished without a
trace. No remains have ever been found.
His Lexus, recovered from the park, stood as a silent token of
the mystery, a modern, comfortable car left in a
primitive landscape, like a scene from a Twilight Zone
episode. Family and legacy Stewart's
family, straddling cultures from Palau to Maryland, were left
puzzled and devastated. To them, there was no obvious
reason he'd go missing intentionally.
He wasn't in trouble with law or money as far as known.
The unresolved nature gnaws at them on online forums and a
Reddit thread dedicated to strange disappearances.
Armchair detectives debate Stewart's case intensively.
It has many ingredients of a missing 411 case, a term
popularized for bizarre wilderness disappearances and
out of character choice solo trip non hiker and wild area.
An abrupt vanishing and no evidence despite A thorough
search quote. Friends impression he wasn't the
type to go hiking at all, one friend said when interviewed.
When I heard his car was found way out there, I just couldn't
make sense of it. Stewart didn't even like
camping. Stewart Isaac remains one of
Yellowstone's strangest cold cases.
His name is often listed alongside Dan Campbell and Bruce
Pike as the park's Big Three unsolved missing persons of
recent decades. The empty Lexus with the vanity
plate Belleck still haunts anyone who hears this story.
A Riddle on the roadside that might never be answered.
Case 6. The Shoshone Lake vanishing Kim
Crumbo, 2021. Yellowstone's most recent high
profile disappearance is a tale of two brothers, a deadly storm,
and lingering uncertainty. In September 20, 2174, year old
Kim Crumbo, A decorated Vietnam veteran and seasoned wilderness
explorer, disappeared during a canoe trip on Shoshone Lake, the
park's second largest lake. His half brother, 67 year old
Mark O'Neill, was found dead, but Kim was never found.
This case is poignant because Kim Crumbo was no ordinary park
visitor. He was a former Navy SEAL, park
Ranger and conservationist who by all accounts, knew how to
handle himself in wild places. On September 12th, 2021, Kim and
Mark set out on a four night Backcountry canoe trip to
Shoshone Lake, a remote lake accessible only by trail or
paddle. Both were experienced boaters
and outdoorsman, especially Kim, who spent decades running rivers
and fighting for wilderness preservation.
They plan to camp, fish, and enjoy the late summer solitude.
The lake, however, can be treacherous with weather.
Shoshone sits at high elevation and is known for sudden wind
storms that whip up frigid waves.
When the brothers failed to return as scheduled on September
19th, a family member reported them overdue.
Yellowstone Rangers launched a search.
On September 20th, they made a grim discovery.
Mark O'Neill's body on the east shore of Shoshone Lake, not far
from one of their campsites. He was wearing a life jacket but
was lifeless. The canoe was missing, later
found overturned not far from Mark's location.
There was no sign of Kim. An autopsy later determined Mark
died of hypothermia. This suggested that the brothers
encountered severe conditions, likely capsizing in cold water.
September nights in Yellowstone often dropped below freezing and
Shoshone Lakes water temperature would cause incapacitation in
minutes if 1 ended up in the drink.
Massive search for Kim The search for Kim Krumbo was one of
the largest in recent park history.
For over 3 weeks, crews combed the area using helicopters,
boats with sonar, ground teams, dog teams and even divers when
weather allowed. They face deteriorating weather
themselves, with early snow and freezing temperatures hampering
efforts. Over 100 personnel from
Yellowstone, other national parks counties, and volunteer
organizations join the operation.
Superintendent Cam Shawley noted the extensive interagency help
and expressed heartfelt sympathies to the family.
Yet, despite all this, Kim Crumble was never found.
By October 8th, 2021, with heavy snow coming, the park scaled
back the search to limited recovery efforts pending new
information. Kim's disappearance remained
under investigation, but without leads.
This case garnered a lot of media attention because of Kim's
background. Friends described him as a
legend of a man who had survived far worse in his life.
The idea that he could be taken by a storm shocked many.
Some of Kim's colleagues in the conservation community openly
speculated something sinister might have happened.
They couldn't believe a Navy SEAL could succumb to nature so
completely. We got messages saying no way,
this was an accident, Kim's wife, Becky Crumbo recounted.
However, Becky herself does not subscribe to conspiracy
theories. After visiting Shoshone Lake and
seeing how fast conditions can turn, she said it was a fluke
thing, an act of nature. They survived a whole lot in
life, but they didn't survive this one.
What likely happened? A reconstruction based on
evidence and survivor experience suggests that one day, possibly
September 18th, the brothers were caught in a sudden
windstorm on the lake. The cold water swamped or
flipped their canoe. Mark, wearing a life jacket,
managed to get to shore but was soaked and in wind.
Kim, perhaps also in a life jacket not confirmed, either
tried to swim or got separated from the boat farther out.
If Kim made it to shore, he never reached help.
Hypothermia would have set in quickly if he was wet and
exposed, just as it did for Mark.
The heartbreaking scenario is of Kim struggling to save his
brother or vice versa, and neither fully succeeding.
Chilling detail. In a Salt Lake Tribune
interview, Becky described being on the lake with officials after
the incident and witnessing how quickly the situation became
dangerous. The water went from calm to
perilous in minutes, Kim's son Daniel said.
If I was in a pinch, in a wild place and I had one person to
call upon, it would be Kim Crumbo emphasizing how skilled
his father was. This makes Kim's vanishing even
more haunting. Even the best can be bested by
nature, official stance Superintendent Shawley stated.
All of us at Yellowstone extend our deepest sympathies.
We will continue search efforts as long as conditions allow.
By winter 2021, the search was paused.
Come spring thaw, Rangers again quietly checked the shoreline
and flew over when possible. But Kim's body has never
emerged. It's possibly resting on the
lake bottom or hidden in the dense lodge pole forests around
it. The case remains open but
inactive, pending any new evidence.
Kim Crumbo is honored in conservation circles as a
passionate advocate for wild wolves and rivers, and now,
tragically, as part of Yellowstone's lore, his story is
recounted as both an inspiration to always respect nature, no
matter one's skill, and as a ghost story.
Some say on a quiet morning at Shoshone Lake, you might feel a
stiff breeze and imagine Kim's spirit still paddling onward,
one with the wilderness he loved, as his family wrote in a
remembrance. K7 Foot in the hot spring.
The fate of Ilhan Roe, 2022 Our next story blurs the line
between tragic accident and macabre mystery.
In the summer of 2022, Yellowstone tourists made a
ghastly discovery at the famed W Thumb Geyser Basin, a human foot
still in a shoe floating in a steaming hot spring.
Park investigators eventually identified the victim as Ilhan
Roe, a 70 year old man from Los Angeles, but the circumstances
of how he ended up in the hot spring remain enigmatic.
Discovery On the morning of August 16th, 2022, a park
concession employee spotted something drifting in the park's
Abyss Pool, one of Yellowstone's deepest Hot Springs, over 50
feet deep with water temperatures around 140°F.
It was a shoe with part of a foot inside.
Rangers quickly closed off the area and began an investigation.
No immediate signs of other remains were visible in the
pools. Clear but super heated water for
weeks, the incident puzzled the public.
Finally, in November 2022, DNA analysis confirmed the foot
belonged to Ilhan Roe. He had been reported missing by
family who last heard from him in late July 2022.
It turned out that Mister Roe had been traveling alone and was
last seen on the morning of July 31st, 2022 near West Thumb,
right around the time authorities now believe he
perished. What happened to Illinois Hun
Roe? Officials never definitively
announced how Mr. Roe ended up in Abyss Pool, but foul play was
not suspected. The likely scenarios are either
an accident or a suicide. He may have wandered off the
boardwalk, a grave but not unprecedented mistake.
Park records show over 20 people have died from hot spring
injuries over the last century or intentionally entered the
lethal waters. Clues emerged as investigators
searched Roe's rental car, found parked near the basin.
Inside they found personal belongings, a laptop, some
family photographs, park maps, a substantial amount of cash, $447
and, most poignantly, a small book of handwritten poems.
The poems hinted at inner turmoil, suggesting Mr. Rowe
might have been troubled. These items painted a picture of
a solitary traveler who perhaps came to Yellowstone seeking
peace or an escape. The fact that he left these
treasures behind in his vehicle, wallet full of money, untouched,
could indicate he wasn't planning to return.
On the other hand, accidents in thermal areas do occur.
People sometimes venture too close, slip on the oily, wet
ground and fall in. But usually there is evidence.
Disturbed ground clothing left on the rim.
Screams heard as the water causes agonizing burns.
In Mr. Rowe's case, no one reported witnessing an incident.
It's possible he intentionally jumped or fell in during very
early morning when few were around, or at night, though the
basin is closed at night. Gruesome aftermath.
Abyss pools. Scalding water likely dissolved
much of the body. It's horrifying to imagine, but
such Hot Springs can effectively consume human remains.
In the weeks after the foot's discovery, geologists noted
eerie fatty deposits appearing on the surface of the pool,
consistent with the liquefied remains of a human body rising
to the top as the water cooled slightly.
This detail reads like something out of a horror novel, the pool
slowly giving up ghostly evidence of what it had taken.
The lone foot protected by the shoe likely separated as the
rest of the body deteriorated in the caustic water.
It floated due to gases in the decaying tissue, eventually
coming to the surface for the employee to find.
In the wake of the chilling discovery of a human foot adrift
in a Yellowstone hot spring, investigators delved into the
life of Illinois Hunro, trying to answer the burning question.
What brings a man to such an end?
Interviews with Mr. Rowe's family were sparse in media, but
one can imagine their shock. He was an older gentleman,
presumably on a sightseeing trip to one of his favorite places.
Perhaps, or maybe fulfilling A lifelong dream.
The poetic journal hints that Yellowstone's grandeur might
have had a spiritual significance to him.
This case ignited all sorts of theories online.
Some park goers whispered about the thermal pool killer.
Completely unfounded. There was no sign of foul play,
but the imagination runs wild. Others drew parallels to a
famous historical incident. In 1981, a young man named David
Kerwin dove into a hot spring to save his dog and died from
terrible burns. Could Roe have similarly acted
on impulse or to retrieve something?
No dog or dropped item was noted, so probably not.
There's also the grim possibility.
Did Roe choose this method as a form of suicide?
If so, it's an unusually painful and dramatic choice, but perhaps
symbolically meaningful to him. Some cultures see Hot Springs as
portals or cleansing pools. Was there a deeper motivation?
We can only speculate. Park officials officially
treated as an accidental death unless further info emerges.
They use the opportunity to once again warn visitors to stay on
boardwalks in geothermal areas. Abyss Pool, with its deceptively
peaceful blue water, now had a horrifying chapter in its
history. Visually, this story is
chilling. Imagine early morning mist over
a neon blue spring. The camera pans and then the
floating shoe with a foot. It's a scene that would fit in a
horror film, yet it happened in real life.
In Yellowstone, the idea of dissolving in an acidic hot pool
is a visceral nightmare for park staff, who had to retrieve the
foot and test the water for remains.
It must have been gruesome work. Illinois Hoon Roe's case, while
likely an accident or suicide, remains one of the strangest
disappearances because only a fragment of him was ever found.
It reminds us that Yellowstone's beauty can be deadly, and that
behind every caution sign is a story like this.
Case 8 The Eagle Peak Mystery Austin King 2024 Our final case
brings us to a very recent and still unresolved disappearance,
one that was unfolding even as of late 2024.
Austin King, a 22 year old Yellowstone concessions
employee, an avid hiker, went missing in September 2024 in the
remote Backcountry of the park's southeast corner.
His case combines the classic perils of wilderness with the
emotional intensity of a family refusing to give up hope.
Background Austin was working a seasonal job in Yellowstone and
like many park employees, took advantage of free time to
explore the wilderness. In mid-september 2024, he set
off solo to tackle Eagle Peak, the highest mountain in
Yellowstone at 11,372 feet, located in a rugged, seldom
visited area near the southeastern boundary.
He planned A7 day Backcountry trip, which included summiting
Eagle Peak and then hiking out to the southeast arm of
Yellowstone Lake for a scheduled boat pickup on September 20th.
Impressively, Austin did reach the summit of Eagle Peak on
September 17th. We know this because he managed
to call and text friends and family around 7:00 PM that
evening after summiting. He described being exhausted but
thrilled he made it despite terrible weather on the way up,
in fact, Austin signed the mountains summit register,
leaving behind an eerie note about the conditions.
I can't feel my fingers and my glasses are so fogged from the
ruthless weather. I endured rain, sleet, hail, and
the most wind I have ever felt. I could not see Eagle for most
of the day due to the fog. His handwriting was wobbly,
suggesting how physically taxed he was.
That line, ruthless weather would prove ominous.
After that final contact on September 17th, Austin never
made it to his boat pick up on September 20th.
The boat operators waited, then left.
When he didn't show, Park Rangers were alerted that he was
overdue. At first light on September
21st, an organized search began. This search would rapidly grow
into one of the biggest since Kim Crumbo's Eagle Peak is
extremely remote. It's in a roadless area that
many describe as one of the most inaccessible landscapes in the
lower 48. The terrain is a maze of steep
ridges, dense forests, and deep Alpine drainages.
Searchers had to be flown or backpacked in.
Over the next 11 days, more than 100 people scoured the mountains
and valleys for Austin. They used helicopters, drones,
search dogs, trackers on foot and spotters with high-powered
scopes. In total, they covered over 3200
miles of ground and air, searching an astonishing scale.
What they found only deep in the mystery Austin's campsite in the
upper Howl Creek area north of Eagle Peak was discovered at the
site. They found his tent and some
belongings. Importantly, his heavy gear and
some personal items were there, which presumably he cashed to
lighten his load for the summit push.
It seemed he had planned to return to that camp after
summiting. The searchers also found the
summit register entry. He left confirming he had made
it to the top and the conditions he faced.
However, there was no sign of Austin himself, no footprints
leading away, no obvious clue like a dropped pack or clothing.
Beyond the camp, the area by then had seen significant snow.
They mentioned 6 foot drifts on parts of Eagle Peak from storms
right after he summited. By October 2nd, with winter
conditions intensifying, Yellowstone officials made the
tough decision to transition from a rescue to a recovery
operation. The active search was scaled
back, though Rangers indicated they'd keep an eye out in
spring. Austin's father, Brian King
Hank, could not bear to let the search end.
In mid-october, with park resources limited, he organized
a private search team of volunteers.
They raised funds for a helicopter and combed the area
again just before a major snowstorm.
However, due to safety regulations, the park did not
approve some of the helicopter use in the high mountains, which
frustrated the family. Still, volunteers went in on
foot while weather allowed, Austin's dad was quoted.
We felt it was very important to use these next two days before
new snow falls. We're not mad, just disappointed
we couldn't use the helicopter more.
We're still going to fight and look for Austin.
A powerful clue did emerge. Austin's note in the summit
register was essentially a message in a bottle about the
extreme weather he confronted. It's possible that descending
from Eagle Peak in those conditions, foggy, windy and
later snowy, Austin got disoriented.
Visibility was awful. He described not seeing the
mountain for most of the day on the way down.
Perhaps he lost the route or took shelter and succumbed to
hypothermia as night fell on September 17th.
The phrase I truly cannot believe I am here after what it
took to be here, he wrote, speaks to how challenging the
ascent was. Surviving the climb only to have
the storm intensify could mean he faced even worse on the
descent. Exhausted and likely wet.
Given the evidence, the leading theory is Austin unfortunately
died from exposure or an injury while trying to return from
Eagle Peak. But because it's an open case,
more colorful theories have been floated too.
Wildlife encounter. Could a bear or Mountain Lion
have taken him by surprise? The area has Grizzlies, but no
evidence like torn gear or tracks was found.
It's late enough in season that bears were around, but if he
died of exposure first, scavenging could occur after
fall into a crevasse or Canyon. The mountains there are littered
with talus slopes and drop offs. He might have fallen into a spot
where searchers couldn't see him, now covered by snow.
Something supernatural among the more fantastical ideas.
Some point to the Native American legends around these
sacred mountains, or the fact that Eagle Peak sits near the
edge of Yellowstone's boundaries.
Maybe he walked out of our world into another, One might say
poetically, when reason fails. What makes Austin's case
especially haunting is that it's so recent.
As of this video, his family is likely still waiting for spring
2025 snowmelt to resume the search.
They cling to hope, slim as it may be, that perhaps he found
some way to survive, or that at least they will find his body
and gain closure. Cam Shali, the park
Superintendent, emphasized that extreme terrain limited even the
park's capabilities at this time.
The park has limited resources to respond to Eagle Peak if
something were to go wrong. We deeply sympathize with
Austin's family. It was a perfect storm of
conditions that stymied all efforts.
Austin stood on Yellowstone's highest summit, victorious, only
to face a greater battle on the way down. 1 He may not have won.
His story is still being written by those who search for him.
Perhaps one warm day next summer, a hiker will spot a
clue, a bit of bright fabric in the brush, or a weathered
notebook by a log, and the mystery will resolve.
Until then, Eagle Peak keeps its silence.
As our journey through Yellowstone's vanishings comes
to a close, we are left with both answers and questions.
We've seen cases of clear tragedy, a boy caught by a
river, a man leaping into a void, and cases of enduring
mystery where loved ones can only speculate at what befell
their missing family member. Each story carries an element of
horror, some from the unforgiving force of nature,
others from the human imagination, filling in the
blanks. Many of these disappearances
share patterns. Yellowstone's wilderness is
often the prime suspect. Raging rivers, freezing nights,
sudden storms, scalding thermal pools and wild animals.
These are the agents of chaos that strike without warning.
As former Ranger Lee Whittlesey documented in his book Death in
Yellowstone, the park's history is filled with people
underestimating nature and paying the price.
Even in modern times with GPS and organized search teams, when
someone goes missing in certain parts of the park, the odds of
finding them can be daunting. Search and rescue experts
emphasize how tiny a human is in 2.2 million acres.
The cases of Dan Campbell, Bruce Pike and Stuart Isaac under
score that if someone perishes off trail, wildlife in the
elements can erase almost all trace of them in days.
As Kevin Grange, a paramedic who has worked searches in
Yellowstone, put it, most people are found, but when they're not,
it's like they vanished into another dimension.
The park is just that vast summary of his accounts.
Speculation and theories revisited.
Beyond the natural explanations, we entertained a range of
theories. Government cover up.
Is the National Park Service hiding the true number of
missing persons? Officially, Yellowstone does not
keep a public list. They defer to a nationwide
database. This opacity has fueled
conspiracy theories. Some believe parks minimize
publicity around disappearances like Bruce Pike's case, which
got no media attention at the time, to avoid scaring visitors
or hurting tourism. Could there be any truth to
that? It's hard to say.
In fairness, most missing are found and the truly unsolved
cases are few. But the secrecy or lack of data
makes it easy for imaginations to run wild, paranormal or
supernatural? From Bigfoot kidnappings to
interdimensional portals, the Internet is rife with
fantastical explanations, especially tied to the Missing
411 phenomenon. While there's no concrete
evidence of anything supernatural in our cases, the
remote and primeval feel of Yellowstone can definitely give
one goosebumps. When Dennis Johnson vanished in
1966 without a trace, even a psychic was consulted who
claimed the boy drowned or fell in a Canyon, though nothing was
ever proven. Absent evidence, some will
imagine forest spirits or cryptids at play.
These theories might sound far fetched, but on a moonless night
camped out in Yellowstone's Backcountry, one might start to
wonder if there's something watching from the dark human
dangers. Could any of these missing
people have encountered dangerous humans?
While exceedingly rare in national parks, it's not
impossible. The Dan Campbell case raised
that suspicion, with antler poachers possibly involved.
No evidence materialized, but it reminds us that even in Eden,
humans can pose threats. Yellowstone's vastness could
conceal a crime more easily than an urban area.
However, every official we heard from stressed that murder or
foul play in these cases is unlikely or unsupported by
facts. Hearing from the families, Luke
Sandburg's aunt accepting he's gone, the Crumbo family
grappling with Kim's fate, Austin King's father pushing on
in hope, we are reminded that these are not just spooky
stories, they are real people's lives.
For each missing person, a family waits and worries, often
in agony for years. True crime often highlights the
pursuit of justice, but in these wilderness cases, there's often
no perpetrator to hold accountable, no clear ending,
just the ambiguous loss. That lingering uncertainty is
its own kind of horror, a psychological 1.
Yellowstone, the world's first National Park, is a place of
wonder. But hidden in its wonder are
tales of warning. The mountains, rivers, and
geysers that inspire awe can also instill terror.
As we've seen in the Untamed wild, humans are vulnerable.
A wrong step, a sudden storm, or a moment's bad decision can make
the difference between an epic story of survival and a mystery
that endures forever. Finally, we acknowledge the
resiliency of those who continue searching.
Park Rangers and volunteers risk their own safety and dangerous
conditions to bring closure. Family members become advocates,
keeping memories alive. These Yellowstone
disappearances, both solved and unsolved, remind us that despite
our smartphones, satellites and science, there are edges of the
map where the unknown still rains.
The next time you visit a National Park, take in its
beauty but also heed its dangers.
Stay on the trail, tell someone where you're going, and respect
the power of nature. Because if you don't, the
wilderness might just keep you.