WEBVTT 1 00:00:17.519 --> 00:00:19.600 Hey, there are folks in this video. We're going to 2 00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:23.239 be talking about a disappearance in Yosemite National Park. I 3 00:00:23.320 --> 00:00:26.280 always find it a bit difficult to talk about Yosemite 4 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:30.320 cases because that park in particular is very tight lipped. 5 00:00:30.679 --> 00:00:33.079 So while there may be a lot of cases there, 6 00:00:33.320 --> 00:00:36.799 there's usually too little information, or the information we do 7 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:40.520 have is very vague. In fact, you might see exactly 8 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:43.759 what I mean as we go through this incident. Yosemite 9 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:46.600 is a very large park, but it's also a park 10 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:49.479 where a lot of people go to do some serious hiking. 11 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:52.359 You can spend days in the wilderness without a cell 12 00:00:52.359 --> 00:00:55.359 phone signal to be had. It's not too surprising that 13 00:00:55.439 --> 00:00:58.560 people go missing there. When I travel to Yosemite in 14 00:00:58.600 --> 00:01:01.320 the summer of twenty twenty five, it was to cover 15 00:01:01.399 --> 00:01:04.959 the disappearance of Stacy Airis, which is probably the most 16 00:01:05.040 --> 00:01:08.239 well known as it relates to this particular park. I 17 00:01:08.280 --> 00:01:10.840 spent a few days in the park, and as it happened, 18 00:01:11.079 --> 00:01:13.719 I did have a little bit of time to spare well. 19 00:01:14.040 --> 00:01:16.200 I was also aware of a disappearance of a man 20 00:01:16.319 --> 00:01:19.040 named Peter Jackson, who had been camping at the White 21 00:01:19.040 --> 00:01:23.159 Wolf Campground in twenty sixteen. He vanished back then and 22 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:26.719 hasn't been seen since. As it happened, I was camping 23 00:01:26.840 --> 00:01:28.879 very near to White Wolf, so I thought it might 24 00:01:28.920 --> 00:01:31.560 be an interesting idea to go and check this area 25 00:01:31.640 --> 00:01:34.439 out now. I wasn't sure that I would ever show 26 00:01:34.519 --> 00:01:37.400 this footage because frankly, I didn't think I would ever 27 00:01:37.519 --> 00:01:40.760 have enough information to make a solid video on this case. 28 00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:44.400 When I was in Yosemite. Essentially the only information I 29 00:01:44.480 --> 00:01:47.079 had about this case was the info that was on 30 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:50.599 the National Park web page for Missing People in cold cases. 31 00:01:51.040 --> 00:01:53.719 So basically I was working with very little, and the 32 00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:56.239 information that was out there really kind of had me 33 00:01:56.319 --> 00:01:59.000 thinking that this was your run of the mill case, 34 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:04.040 nothing particularly mysterious, just a tragic story of someone putting 35 00:02:04.079 --> 00:02:07.280 themselves in a bad position that leads to death. It 36 00:02:07.319 --> 00:02:10.000 happens all the time. The only thing I knew when 37 00:02:10.039 --> 00:02:14.080 I visited Yosemite was that in twenty sixteen, Peter Jackson 38 00:02:14.199 --> 00:02:17.680 was camping at the White Wolf campground in Campsite fifty eight. 39 00:02:18.080 --> 00:02:20.599 He must have left at some point and gone hiking 40 00:02:20.639 --> 00:02:24.680 when something happened and he disappeared. The only clue available 41 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:27.960 to the public is that in twenty nineteen His backpack 42 00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:31.639 was found between Aspen Valley and Smith Peak, or in 43 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:35.479 the Aspen Valley Akerson Meadow area. If you are someone 44 00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:38.080 like me and you plot these points out on a map, 45 00:02:38.280 --> 00:02:41.080 you might deduce that Peter Jackson had gone hiking on 46 00:02:41.159 --> 00:02:44.199 the trail that takes you west of the White Wolf campground. 47 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:47.599 Well that's what I figured, too, So when I visited 48 00:02:47.639 --> 00:02:49.840 this area, I figured the best way to get a 49 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:52.919 feel for how someone could disappear here would be to 50 00:02:52.960 --> 00:02:56.319 follow in their footsteps. As it happens, there is only 51 00:02:56.400 --> 00:02:59.560 one trail that heads west, so it was readily apparent 52 00:02:59.599 --> 00:03:02.159 what I need to do. Now, I'll take you through 53 00:03:02.199 --> 00:03:06.280 the timeline I experienced investigating this case and show you 54 00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:29.080 why things just stopped adding up. Peter Jackson was seventy 55 00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:32.759 four years old in September of twenty sixteen. His main 56 00:03:32.840 --> 00:03:37.719 interests included nature, hiking, and wildlife. He practiced some degree 57 00:03:37.719 --> 00:03:40.479 of Buddhism in his spiritual life and was known to 58 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:44.719 people as a somewhat distant and nomadic individual. Friends and 59 00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:48.400 family described him as an experienced hiker who can sometimes 60 00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:52.159 go off the grid by himself. He spent most of 61 00:03:52.159 --> 00:03:55.439 his day to day life living in Mexico amongst a small, 62 00:03:55.599 --> 00:04:00.159 close knit group of retired, wealthy and intellectual friends. He 63 00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:03.960 was visiting California in September of twenty sixteen in order 64 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:07.560 to see some family and sell property he had in California. 65 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:10.800 He was due back in Mexico by the end of October. 66 00:04:11.240 --> 00:04:14.360 Part of this trip included a stop in Yosemite National 67 00:04:14.439 --> 00:04:17.519 Park for a little camping and hiking. Peter was not 68 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:20.360 familiar with the area he was planning to camp in 69 00:04:20.439 --> 00:04:24.160 and had not spent much time in Yosemite already. You 70 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:26.600 have more information than I did when I was in 71 00:04:26.680 --> 00:04:29.680 the park and hoping to investigate this case a little bit. 72 00:04:30.120 --> 00:04:32.759 So let me show you the footage I shot while 73 00:04:32.759 --> 00:04:35.079 I was there, and you can get an idea of 74 00:04:35.160 --> 00:04:37.560 the terrain and what it looks like in the granite 75 00:04:37.600 --> 00:05:37.120 filled forests of Yosemite. When I finally arrived at the 76 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:40.199 White Wolf campground, I found it closed for the season. 77 00:05:40.680 --> 00:05:43.319 This actually turned out to be quite convenient because I 78 00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:46.600 had the entire campground to myself. I could go and 79 00:05:46.759 --> 00:05:49.480 visit the spot where Peter camped and not have to 80 00:05:49.480 --> 00:05:52.519 worry about people getting weirded out by a creepy dude. 81 00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:55.240 With a camera. I figured I could start from his 82 00:05:55.399 --> 00:05:58.360 campsite and try to retrace his steps a bit to 83 00:05:58.399 --> 00:06:02.879 better understand the ground was covering. All right, So I'm 84 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:07.120 here at the White Wolf campground. I am just leaving 85 00:06:07.199 --> 00:06:10.600 Site fifty eight, which is behind me. That is the 86 00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:14.399 site that Peter Jackson was camped at. He left most 87 00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:16.600 of his gear there, but he did take a backpack 88 00:06:16.639 --> 00:06:20.199 as he went on one of these trails, most likely 89 00:06:20.240 --> 00:06:23.439 the trail towards Hardened Lake I think is that takes 90 00:06:23.480 --> 00:06:26.839 you towards Smith Peak. And all I know at this moment, 91 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:29.560 because I haven't got records because you know, Semity is 92 00:06:29.639 --> 00:06:32.800 kind of hoarding them a little bit, is that his 93 00:06:32.920 --> 00:06:37.439 backpack was found somewhere between essentially here and Smith Peak, 94 00:06:37.680 --> 00:06:41.920 which is quite a bit of terrain. But there is 95 00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:45.600 a trail heading in that exact direction, so it would 96 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:48.279 stand to reason that he took that trail. There's only 97 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:52.680 really two trails out of this area, one towards Luken's Lake. 98 00:06:53.360 --> 00:06:56.680 Almost positive he didn't take that one. Seems like he 99 00:06:56.720 --> 00:07:01.360 was just going for a day hike, wasn't anything too serious, 100 00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:05.160 but that's how these things usually end in tragedy. But 101 00:07:05.560 --> 00:07:12.160 he was heading out this way undoubtedly left his campsite. 102 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:16.240 His campsite was unattended for multiple days, and that's when 103 00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:19.439 rangers started getting the idea that maybe something was a 104 00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:23.399 miss because he should have checked out. Looks like he 105 00:07:23.480 --> 00:07:27.079 must have gone down this trail towards Harden's or Smith 106 00:07:27.160 --> 00:07:29.680 Peak go in the same kind of direction, it looks like, 107 00:07:30.480 --> 00:07:32.199 so I'm gonna start heading down that way just to 108 00:07:32.240 --> 00:07:35.079 check it out, to see if I can make any 109 00:07:35.120 --> 00:07:37.519 sense of how someone could have gotten lost out here 110 00:07:37.560 --> 00:07:41.319 and never be found. And again, his backpack was found 111 00:07:41.360 --> 00:07:47.639 three years after he disappeared roughly, so he must have 112 00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:50.920 gotten off trail pretty good. And I wish I knew 113 00:07:50.959 --> 00:07:54.600 exactly where his backpack was found, but again, really I 114 00:07:54.680 --> 00:07:57.560 just got the most general information on this case right now, 115 00:07:57.600 --> 00:07:59.680 and I'm kind of hoping by the time I actually 116 00:07:59.720 --> 00:08:02.680 released this video I have a lot more details, but 117 00:08:03.240 --> 00:08:07.079 right now I'm really limited on what I know. So, 118 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:10.560 his backpack was found somewhere between here and Smith Peak. 119 00:08:10.759 --> 00:08:13.160 It's a large area, but there is a trail in 120 00:08:13.160 --> 00:08:49.559 that direction, so let's go check it out. So at 121 00:08:49.639 --> 00:08:55.080 least the first part of this trail is pretty much 122 00:08:55.200 --> 00:08:57.720 just a gravel road, to get to it, you have 123 00:08:57.759 --> 00:09:00.879 to go through a ranger station and residence area that 124 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:06.000 clearly no one is at right now. And this whole 125 00:09:06.039 --> 00:09:09.840 area seems to be closed down right now. And the 126 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:13.720 rangers area and residential area over there is just completely destroyed. 127 00:09:15.159 --> 00:09:17.799 Everything is looking really run down. It's clear no one's 128 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:20.679 been there for a minute. So I understand why this 129 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:23.679 place isn't open right now, even though it's mid July. 130 00:09:25.159 --> 00:09:29.039 So I'm just heading down the gravel road here, and 131 00:09:29.080 --> 00:09:31.360 I'm going to see what or when it turns into 132 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:34.879 a trail, because I gotta imagine it does. Now. First 133 00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:38.879 I should hit Harden's Lake and past that would be 134 00:09:38.919 --> 00:09:43.240 Smith Peak, but that's quite a bit further, probably not 135 00:09:43.320 --> 00:09:47.279 going out that far. But I'm just trying to figure 136 00:09:47.320 --> 00:09:52.039 out someone came out here, what would drive them off trail? 137 00:09:53.559 --> 00:09:56.039 And if you were off trail, how hard would it 138 00:09:56.039 --> 00:10:00.600 be to find your way back? And again, as always, 139 00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:04.840 I don't just do this willy nilly. I got a 140 00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:09.000 GPS and I always carry a personal locator beacon, so 141 00:10:11.080 --> 00:10:16.320 I'm prepared for this little endeavor. So let's keep doing 142 00:10:44.679 --> 00:10:47.879 one thing I'm already noticing, just a short while into 143 00:10:47.919 --> 00:10:52.399 this hike is that it's a very beautiful place and 144 00:10:53.840 --> 00:10:58.279 it's very secluded. You know, Yosemite is always packed with people, 145 00:10:58.320 --> 00:11:02.279 it seems like no matter where you go, and I 146 00:11:02.279 --> 00:11:05.480 haven't seen anyone heading down this trail or on the trail, 147 00:11:05.519 --> 00:11:10.840 and it's a really beautiful place. Kind of interesting, you know, 148 00:11:10.960 --> 00:11:13.080 I'm so used to running into people all over the 149 00:11:13.080 --> 00:11:18.360 place here, But I'm also considering that since it's so 150 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:21.759 beautiful out here, you know, you always get the temptation 151 00:11:21.840 --> 00:11:23.519 to kind of go off trail a bit, because you 152 00:11:23.559 --> 00:11:26.559 see a lot of a lot of places that looks 153 00:11:26.559 --> 00:11:28.759 like they would be fun to go climbing up a 154 00:11:28.840 --> 00:11:30.600 rock here to get a better view of the creek, 155 00:11:31.240 --> 00:11:35.039 this kind of thing. So the temptation to go off 156 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:38.559 trail is real, and it happens to people. And I'm 157 00:11:38.559 --> 00:11:41.840 already wondering if that got the better of Peter in 158 00:11:41.879 --> 00:11:44.279 this situation, and maybe he's strayed a little too far, 159 00:11:44.720 --> 00:12:01.960 but we'll see. One thing to always keep in mind 160 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:05.399 about Yosemite is that there are a lot of bears here, 161 00:12:05.960 --> 00:12:09.320 and so when you start walking around out on secluded trails, 162 00:12:09.360 --> 00:12:13.200 there is always a chance you're going to run into one. Now, 163 00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:16.000 if that happened to Peter, you know, or some people, 164 00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:19.159 they might just start running away. They might get off 165 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:21.720 trail and head out into the forest to try and 166 00:12:21.720 --> 00:12:27.559 get away. That's a good way to get lost. Understandable 167 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:29.879 as well in some sense, because obviously no one wants 168 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:34.759 to really encounter a bear up close. But it's one 169 00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:37.679 of those things that's always worth considering. It can especially 170 00:12:37.759 --> 00:12:40.200 happen at Yosemite, but pretty much any place where there 171 00:12:40.200 --> 00:12:44.559 are bears, you know, did wildlife force someone off a 172 00:12:44.600 --> 00:12:47.639 trail and then they got lost and then they haven't 173 00:12:47.679 --> 00:12:51.159 been found again. It would be really helpful to know 174 00:12:51.279 --> 00:12:54.840 exactly where his backpack was found, but I don't have 175 00:12:54.879 --> 00:12:59.639 that info right now. It would give me a much 176 00:12:59.679 --> 00:13:02.960 better idea of where he could have gone. But it's 177 00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:05.519 interesting to note that they found his backpack and apparently 178 00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:08.879 no remains. Now. Of course, it's three years later, so 179 00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:12.840 scavengers probably got to the body and probably bears in fact, 180 00:13:13.879 --> 00:13:16.600 and they probably scattered his remains took it off somewhere 181 00:13:16.639 --> 00:13:20.519 who knows. So finding the body was probably much less 182 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:26.360 likely than finding the backpack. But obviously there should still 183 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:28.600 be some bones and boots and stuff out here at 184 00:13:28.600 --> 00:13:33.120 this point, but where they would be and where he 185 00:13:33.120 --> 00:13:36.159 would have gone off trail, that's kind of the mystery. 186 00:13:36.919 --> 00:13:39.879 A lot of people go missing in Yosemite, a lot 187 00:13:39.879 --> 00:14:02.360 of them are never found. It's a gigantic park, lots 188 00:14:02.360 --> 00:14:08.039 of granite in this area, lots of boulder fields. I 189 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:10.559 think we all know what that means. People are going 190 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:30.720 to go missing. You know, I gotta say, there is 191 00:14:31.399 --> 00:14:36.480 nothing in this area that I can see that would 192 00:14:37.639 --> 00:14:40.360 you know, makes sense, Like, you know, the trail being 193 00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:44.720 I don't know, not obvious in some areas, or the 194 00:14:44.759 --> 00:14:50.279 trail is very obvious. So then it just comes down 195 00:14:50.279 --> 00:14:53.519 to the two questions of did something force him off 196 00:14:53.559 --> 00:14:56.919 trail or did he intentionally go off trail because he 197 00:14:57.000 --> 00:14:59.080 wanted to check out some of the cool things around here, 198 00:14:59.159 --> 00:15:02.279 Because he could have gone off trail intentionally and got 199 00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:05.960 himself lost. And then, of course, as I mentioned earlier, 200 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:08.440 the possibility that he was pushed off the trail by 201 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:14.799 an animal, more than likely a bear, but you know 202 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:19.720 the bears here. Bear attacks aren't that common, especially because 203 00:15:20.360 --> 00:15:27.080 they're black bears, which far less dangerous than brown but 204 00:15:27.240 --> 00:15:33.279 still some people's reaction to them, you know, obviously it's 205 00:15:33.320 --> 00:15:38.440 fear because you know, bears are a predator though you know, 206 00:15:38.519 --> 00:15:42.240 black bears like beerries and things, you know, But still 207 00:15:44.120 --> 00:15:48.600 so it's always possible. You know, you're walking along and 208 00:15:48.600 --> 00:15:52.440 you see a black bear and you just decide to 209 00:15:52.480 --> 00:15:58.919 start moving the other way, which is not bad advice, 210 00:15:58.960 --> 00:16:04.440 so I might suggest me and some noise. Still, it's 211 00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:06.399 something to think about when it comes to his disappearance, 212 00:16:06.519 --> 00:16:10.679 because I think something had to have pushed him off trail, 213 00:16:12.039 --> 00:16:15.960 whether it was his own accord or something else pushed 214 00:16:16.039 --> 00:16:22.279 him off a bit of a high altitude here, I 215 00:16:22.279 --> 00:16:27.840 think we're near eight thousand feet, though I've been spending 216 00:16:27.840 --> 00:16:32.000 a lot of time at this altitude lately, so I'm 217 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:34.279 not as winded as I usually would be going uphill. 218 00:16:36.120 --> 00:16:38.399 You know, one other thought has occurred to me while 219 00:16:38.440 --> 00:16:41.960 I was walking and thinking here, and that is he 220 00:16:42.080 --> 00:16:45.039 was a bit of an older fella, and of course 221 00:16:45.080 --> 00:16:47.519 there is always the possibility that he had some sort 222 00:16:47.559 --> 00:16:51.799 of you know, health issue. I mean, obviously he was 223 00:16:51.840 --> 00:16:54.480 supposed to be in good health, and everyone knew him 224 00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:56.320 to be a pretty good camp or hiker and all that. 225 00:16:56.399 --> 00:16:59.960 But sometimes, you know, especially at higher altitude, sometimes things happen, 226 00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:03.519 you know, you never know heart attack whatever can occur 227 00:17:03.919 --> 00:17:09.319 to even young people, so that's always another factor. But 228 00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:11.799 then you would assume his backpack would be near the trail, 229 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:16.000 his body would might have been taken by scavengers, especially 230 00:17:16.039 --> 00:17:18.319 if people weren't really going through this area too much. 231 00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:22.000 But I guess, more than anything else, it seems like 232 00:17:22.039 --> 00:17:25.039 something drove him off trail at this point, because usually 233 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:26.839 if the body is close to a trail and you 234 00:17:26.880 --> 00:17:29.720 have some sort of health ailment, they'll find you pretty 235 00:17:29.799 --> 00:17:33.880 quick during the search and rescue, you would hope. So 236 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:37.440 it seems like he must have wandered off or been 237 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:41.039 forced off. I think I'm going to be a I 238 00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:42.640 think I'm gonna have to land on one of those 239 00:17:42.680 --> 00:18:09.640 two theories as it comes to this case. So well, 240 00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:15.559 in conclusion on this case, I would say, given that 241 00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:18.720 we know his backpack was found somewhere between the start 242 00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:25.359 of the trail and Smith's Peak, which everything about this 243 00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:30.119 case seems to assume that he was just going for 244 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:32.480 a short day hike, because he left all of his 245 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:36.400 camp and equipment set up at the White Wolf campground 246 00:18:37.799 --> 00:18:41.839 obviously intended to come back. I don't think he ever 247 00:18:41.880 --> 00:18:45.480 intended to go out to Smith Peak. And then come back. 248 00:18:45.519 --> 00:18:49.200 That would be a very long hike. He probably just 249 00:18:49.240 --> 00:18:51.279 intended to go out to Harden Lake and come back, 250 00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:56.000 which would be I don't know, probably something around four 251 00:18:56.079 --> 00:19:04.480 or five miles, much more doable. Yeah, so just a 252 00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:09.319 simple day hike, presumably, And you never know. He could 253 00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:13.359 have gone off trail to eat his lunch. Maybe he 254 00:19:13.440 --> 00:19:17.160 saw a good overlook point somewhere and thought he wanted 255 00:19:17.160 --> 00:19:22.480 to go to it. Any number of things could happen 256 00:19:22.519 --> 00:19:25.640 that could cause you to get lost out here. That's 257 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:29.519 why it's great to bring a GPS, and that's why 258 00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:31.599 it's great to have a personal locator beacon as well. 259 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:39.759 Obviously he probably was a little ill equipped. So that's 260 00:19:39.839 --> 00:20:18.160 kind of where I'm at with this. After filming on 261 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:21.519 location near White Wolf, I pretty much forgot about this 262 00:20:21.720 --> 00:20:25.480 case altogether. I did request the records for his disappearance 263 00:20:25.480 --> 00:20:28.599 from the NPS, but I was confident that nothing would 264 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:31.640 come of it. Peter's case is still open, as he's 265 00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:36.000 still missing, and Yosemite is notoriously difficult when it comes 266 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:40.400 to transparency. Basically, all indications were that I'd never end 267 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:43.200 up talking about this case or showing the footage that 268 00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:46.480 I just did. Based on the limited info I had, 269 00:20:46.839 --> 00:20:49.200 it seemed like any number of things could have happened 270 00:20:49.240 --> 00:20:52.279 to Peter. He could have gone off grid and gotten 271 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:55.319 lost or had a medical event. He could have encountered 272 00:20:55.359 --> 00:20:57.960 a mountain lion or bear and gone off trail to 273 00:20:57.960 --> 00:21:00.680 get out of its way and then become lost. Who 274 00:21:00.720 --> 00:21:05.279 knows really, And then the unthinkable happened. Yosemite decided to 275 00:21:05.279 --> 00:21:09.200 give me Peter's case file. So, Yosemite, I will never 276 00:21:09.440 --> 00:21:14.480 speak quite so harshly about you ever again, I promise. Obviously, 277 00:21:14.839 --> 00:21:17.119 when this kind of thing happens, we start to learn 278 00:21:17.160 --> 00:21:19.720 a lot more. So I will waste no time in 279 00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:23.119 presenting you with the most interesting bits of information turned 280 00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:26.119 up by investigators. But I will also encourage you to 281 00:21:26.119 --> 00:21:29.440 pay close attention. Keep what you already know about this 282 00:21:29.640 --> 00:21:33.079 case in mind. Sure we don't know much, but still 283 00:21:33.279 --> 00:21:36.440 keep it in mind as I cover this information. Let's 284 00:21:36.480 --> 00:21:40.839 begin with the timeline. Peter Jackson left Mexico and drove 285 00:21:40.880 --> 00:21:44.240 to Sacramento to camp near Fort Bragg on September tenth, 286 00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:48.039 twenty sixteen. After camping there, he planned a camp at 287 00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:51.519 Yosemite National Park and then drive to San Diego to 288 00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:55.160 visit his son. On September twenty third, Peter drove to 289 00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:58.599 Sacramento with an unnamed male friend who was dropped off. 290 00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:03.880 Around thirteenth or fourteenth, Peter spoke with someone via telephone. 291 00:22:04.200 --> 00:22:06.279 He was said to be in good spirits and was 292 00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:10.599 enjoying his camping trip. During this time, he was presumably alone. 293 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:14.480 On September seventeenth, Peter sent a text message saying that 294 00:22:14.519 --> 00:22:17.200 he had left the campsite at Fort Bragg and was 295 00:22:17.279 --> 00:22:20.599 on his way to Yosemite National Park. In the text, 296 00:22:20.839 --> 00:22:23.960 he mentioned using the back roads to get to the campsite. 297 00:22:24.119 --> 00:22:27.759 This was the last contact he had with anyone. On 298 00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:31.480 September twenty seventh, twenty sixteen, at around eight am, a 299 00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:35.200 ranger was assigned to investigate the whereabouts of Peter Jackson. 300 00:22:35.680 --> 00:22:38.839 He learned that the day prior, September twenty sixth, a 301 00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:41.960 ranger was preparing to close the White Wolf Campground for 302 00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:44.640 the rest of the season. A park visitor who was 303 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:48.160 camping at Site fifty nine reported to a ranger and 304 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:51.359 a campground host that they had not seen anybody at 305 00:22:51.400 --> 00:22:55.799 their neighboring campsite, which was Site fifty eight. This visitor 306 00:22:55.839 --> 00:22:59.480 had arrived several days earlier, and since that time nobody 307 00:22:59.519 --> 00:23:02.759 had been at Site fifty eight, despite a car, tent 308 00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:06.359 and gear being there. The campground host had checked and 309 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:09.519 discovered that Site fifty eight had been unpaid for the 310 00:23:09.599 --> 00:23:13.000 night of September twenty second, despite the fact that Peter 311 00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:16.160 was supposed to check out on the twentieth. The host 312 00:23:16.200 --> 00:23:19.839 put a warning slip on Peter's vehicle on September twenty second. 313 00:23:20.279 --> 00:23:22.720 The campground host then took a day off on the 314 00:23:22.759 --> 00:23:25.720 twenty third, and when they returned on the twenty fourth, 315 00:23:25.960 --> 00:23:29.160 they discovered that nothing had changed at Site fifty eight. 316 00:23:29.680 --> 00:23:32.279 They wrote out another warning slip and left it at 317 00:23:32.279 --> 00:23:35.279 the site. When a ranger went to check Site fifty 318 00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:38.880 eight on September twenty seventh, they found a twenty fifteen 319 00:23:38.960 --> 00:23:43.359 Silver Subaru outback with California plates. They found two warning 320 00:23:43.480 --> 00:23:46.440 flyers attached to the vehicle. One was written on the 321 00:23:46.440 --> 00:23:49.319 twenty second and the other on the twenty fourth. There 322 00:23:49.359 --> 00:23:52.799 was also an orange, white and red RII half domed 323 00:23:52.839 --> 00:23:57.079 tent with sleeping gears still inside. The campground bare box 324 00:23:57.240 --> 00:23:59.279 was opened and there was a fair amount of food 325 00:23:59.319 --> 00:24:02.200 in there, some of it was spoiled. There was no 326 00:24:02.240 --> 00:24:06.200 evidence of the campsite occupant anywhere in the area now 327 00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:09.440 as it happens. On the day prior September twenty sixth, 328 00:24:09.799 --> 00:24:12.799 Peter Jackson's son made a missing person's report with the 329 00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:16.119 Roseville Police Department after Peter failed to meet up with 330 00:24:16.200 --> 00:24:19.240 him on September twenty three. This was a plan they 331 00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:23.319 had previously agreed upon. Roseville PD added Peter as a 332 00:24:23.319 --> 00:24:28.039 missing person through their NCIC and later contacted Yosemite to 333 00:24:28.119 --> 00:24:31.680 inform them that Peter was missing. It appears that rangers 334 00:24:31.720 --> 00:24:35.839 briefly interviewed Peter's son, but he had limited information. He 335 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:39.240 received a text from him on September seventeenth indicating that 336 00:24:39.279 --> 00:24:42.279 he was going to Yosemite National Park and that was 337 00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:47.279 pretty much it. He had no information on Peter's gear, itinerary, clothing, 338 00:24:47.400 --> 00:24:50.640 or anything else. Rangers did a check for any campground 339 00:24:50.680 --> 00:24:55.359 reservations or wilderness permits under Peter's name, but they found none. 340 00:24:55.720 --> 00:24:59.799 Searching for additional clues, rangers entered Peter's vehicle and found 341 00:24:59.799 --> 00:25:02.799 a fe a few items of interest, including an iPhone, 342 00:25:02.880 --> 00:25:06.440 an iPad, and a receipt from the Yosemite Village store 343 00:25:06.799 --> 00:25:10.319 for the purchase of a royal blue Outdoor Products Traverse 344 00:25:10.440 --> 00:25:14.160 eight point zero day pack. This backpack was not found 345 00:25:14.160 --> 00:25:18.440 amongst Peter's things. The cell phone and iPad were briefly searched, 346 00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:22.880 but nothing of evidentiary value was found. Later, they learned 347 00:25:22.920 --> 00:25:25.559 that the phone found in the vehicle was not Peter's 348 00:25:25.559 --> 00:25:29.000 current cell phone, which was different color. That phone was 349 00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:31.920 not found amongst the items at the camp site. One 350 00:25:31.960 --> 00:25:35.480 of Peter's friends contacted rangers about the situation, and he 351 00:25:35.559 --> 00:25:39.359 said that he lives near Peter, just north of Puerto Vireta, Mexico, 352 00:25:39.799 --> 00:25:42.599 and that they entered the US on September seventh and 353 00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:46.559 traveled to Roseville, California together. The friend said that he 354 00:25:46.680 --> 00:25:50.200 last saw Peter on September seventeenth, and Peter planned to 355 00:25:50.319 --> 00:25:54.000 enter Yosemite via the East Entrance and then camp away 356 00:25:54.039 --> 00:25:57.519 from the busy Yosemite Valley. Peter wanted to avoid a 357 00:25:57.519 --> 00:25:59.799 lot of people. He told his friend that he wanted 358 00:25:59.799 --> 00:26:03.160 to go someplace where his cell phone wouldn't work. Peter's 359 00:26:03.160 --> 00:26:06.039 friend thought that Peter was a poor navigator who could 360 00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:09.079 get easily lost, but that he was also in pretty 361 00:26:09.079 --> 00:26:12.839 good health. During the ground search, many items were found, 362 00:26:12.920 --> 00:26:15.640 but with little knowledge of the gear that Peter had, 363 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:19.079 it was impossible to know if the finds held any relevance. 364 00:26:19.559 --> 00:26:23.079 One larger find came on September twenty ninth, when searchers 365 00:26:23.119 --> 00:26:25.759 found a pair of hiking poles in half Moon Meadow. 366 00:26:26.200 --> 00:26:28.640 It appeared that the poles could have been abandoned long 367 00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:32.480 before September nineteenth due to the amount of grass around them. 368 00:26:32.799 --> 00:26:35.519 Rangers contacted two witnesses to see if they could get 369 00:26:35.559 --> 00:26:38.640 a description of the poles, and they were given conflicting 370 00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:41.599 descriptions as it relates to the color, but the two 371 00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:44.680 both stated that the poles were newer looking. They were 372 00:26:44.720 --> 00:26:49.200 logged in as evidence regardless. On October first, twenty sixteen, 373 00:26:49.400 --> 00:26:52.680 the field search for Peter Jackson was suspended after finding 374 00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:56.359 no leads or information that could potentially drive the ground search. 375 00:26:56.880 --> 00:27:00.000 During the search period, bad weather like snow and rain 376 00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:04.240 continually hampered efforts. I know I didn't cover many details 377 00:27:04.279 --> 00:27:06.880 of the search efforts, but they didn't really supply me 378 00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:10.319 with many The search was relatively short and there weren't 379 00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:12.599 a lot of people on the ground either. By the 380 00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:15.319 looks of it, it was a pretty limited search effort. 381 00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:18.759 It didn't make big headlines and Peter Jackson just became 382 00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:22.440 another name on a list. A number of interviews were 383 00:27:22.480 --> 00:27:27.000 conducted throughout the investigation into Peter's disappearance. Rangers made a 384 00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:29.759 good effort to contact everybody who stayed at the White 385 00:27:29.799 --> 00:27:33.440 Wolf Campground and everyone who had a wilderness permit during 386 00:27:33.480 --> 00:27:36.359 the time Peter was within the park. The goal was 387 00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:38.440 to find anyone who had seen him and at the 388 00:27:38.559 --> 00:27:41.119 very least supply a description of what he was wearing 389 00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:44.720 and what gear he was carrying. In a second, I'm 390 00:27:44.759 --> 00:27:47.880 going to go over three interviews that have relevance or 391 00:27:47.920 --> 00:27:51.960 at least potential relevance. The first two interviews are from 392 00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:54.240 two men who were part of a group that was 393 00:27:54.319 --> 00:27:57.880 hiking in the region where Peter Jackson disappeared. The third 394 00:27:57.920 --> 00:28:01.119 interview is with a staff member at the White Wolf Lodge. 395 00:28:01.519 --> 00:28:05.119 On September twenty seventh, a telephone interview was conducted with 396 00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:09.319 a potential witness. Their name has been redacted. They stated 397 00:28:09.319 --> 00:28:11.480 that they were staying with others at the White Wolf 398 00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:15.720 Campground between September nineteenth and the twenty first. They also 399 00:28:15.759 --> 00:28:18.359 had a wilderness permit because their goal was to do 400 00:28:18.400 --> 00:28:21.480 a three day, two night hike from the White Wolf 401 00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:25.039