By Kristi O’Toole

Every year, thousands of people go missing. Many of these cases are solved, or at least the cause can be reasonably ascertained. Strangers kidnap kids for ransom or worse, estranged parents kidnap their own children from former spouses, and crimes of passion lead to disappearances very dark in nature.

Then there are cases that are truly inexplicable. In my last missing persons column I gave mention to David Paulides book Missing 411, this book and the three printed since re an absolute must read; however I do not recommend reading them if you’re alone. The cases I’m covering in this column differ in strange ways from other missing person cases. They are happening in remote areas of National Parks, monuments and forests, and federal agencies are not keeping track or sharing information.

All of the cases that are meticulously documented in the books have happened in 52 clearly defined geographic clusters. The Rocky Mountains and Sierra Pacific range are two areas where cases are concentrated. Colorado, Michigan, Georgia and Arkansas are other hot spots. Other countries are also involved, with many cases documented in Canada and Europe.

When I read things like that my tormented brain automatically goes to Bigfoot or aliens, or even maybe government experiments. There’s also the possibility of a higher wild animal populace in those areas, but that idea isn’t nearly as exciting.

A large percentage of victims whose bodies are found are missing their shoes and socks, even though they went missing in cold weather where being shoeless could be a death sentence in itself; the shoes are seldom found. The majority of victims are male, mentally handicapped in some way or in the genius intellectual range.

As if that isn’t creepy enough, bodies are also found at higher elevations than where they were last seen alive, defying explanation as to how they could have gotten to such an inaccessible place. In one case, a physician went hiking to a winter cabin with friends. They had all been there before and were in excellent physical condition and equipped with new snow gear. The missing man vanished after going ahead on the trail a short distance and was then found two weeks later, miles away, hundreds of feet higher in elevation than when he was last seen, in a steep ravine with all his snow gear and emergency equipment and provisions unused and his shoes nowhere to be found.

So what’s going on here? A mountain monster with a shoe fetish?

In another case, a girl went on a horseback camping trip to a remote lake in Yosemite National Park with a large group of others, including her father. Shortly after arriving, the others watched as she walked a short distance away into a small patch of trees and then suddenly vanished. Search and rescue teams came in quickly to search for her, but even bloodhounds could not find a trace.

Paulides says he can rule out some causes. He believes it is not serial killers, and he carefully excludes any case that could have a simple explanation, like suicide or accidental drowning. Others are suggesting causes ranging from Bigfoot abductions to aliens to wild men living secretly in the forests, consuming human flesh. (See, my madness is validated).

Many people who have followed up on Paulides research suspect that a Bigfoot or similar cryptoid creature is abducting humans in the wilderness, perhaps as a food source. While the bodies that are lucky enough to be recovered are not eaten or dismembered, the cause of death cannot usually be determined during an autopsy, leaving some wondering if these creatures live off of their victim’s fear itself. And if for no other reason than this, The X-Files needs to return full time; Mulder and Scully would sort this out on their lunch break. Others think it is more likely that alien beings are involved, or that these unfortunate people are falling into some kind of time warp and entering another dimension. When the bodies of some of the disappeared are finally located, an astonishing number turn up in areas that have already been intensively searched for weeks before.
Increasing numbers of private individuals and authors are taking an interest in these disturbing, vanishing person cases. Paulides and other retired law enforcement and search and rescue personnel have created a website where case reports, maps, and victims names are posted and regularly updated. Warning, following this website can absolutely scare you senseless.

Even more disturbing than the many cases already documented is the fact that since publication of the Missing 411 book in 2012, there has been an increase in the numbers of these vanishing person cases. Some wonder if whoever or whatever is responsible for abducting these people is watching and responding as people get closer to solving the mystery.

On that note, I’ll leave you to avoid all national parks and retreats for the rest of your natural life. Next time I’ll be covering mermaids, the seductresses of the deep.

Until then, leave the night light burning.

When Kristi isn’t writing for NewzBreaker, she writes supernatural suspense novels having three currently published. If you would like to check out any of her books they can be found online and at other major retailers like Books a Million and Amazon. Never one to rest, she also paints/designs shoes and items for the home. Check out her eBay store, Watered Down Vodka and her FB page.

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