WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:01.600 Today, I want to tell you about a journey that 2 00:00:01.600 --> 00:00:03.879 I've been on for most of my life. Ever since 3 00:00:03.919 --> 00:00:05.799 I was a kid, I've heard tales of bigfoot and 4 00:00:05.839 --> 00:00:08.320 wild men while spending time with my friends and family. 5 00:00:09.039 --> 00:00:11.439 As I grew older and read more about the paranormal, 6 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:14.679 my interest in encryptids and other things strange only deepened. 7 00:00:15.240 --> 00:00:17.160 That's why I'm so excited to share with you what 8 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:21.640 I've personally become involved with the Untold Radio Network. The 9 00:00:21.719 --> 00:00:25.280 Untold Radio Network is a live streaming podcast network that 10 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:29.359 airs a new show every day across all podcast platforms, YouTube, 11 00:00:29.359 --> 00:00:32.119 and more. They have eight different shows on all sorts 12 00:00:32.159 --> 00:00:36.119 of exciting topics such as bigfoot, cryptids, UFOs, aliens, and 13 00:00:36.200 --> 00:00:39.479 much more. I even have my own show called Weird Encounters, 14 00:00:39.479 --> 00:00:42.439 where I talk about all things strange. This is more 15 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:45.280 than just a podcast network. It's a community that allows 16 00:00:45.320 --> 00:00:47.759 me to meet so many amazing people who share their 17 00:00:47.799 --> 00:00:51.520 stories and experiences with strange. If you're interested in hearing 18 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:53.880 more of these stories and learning more about the paranormal 19 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:56.679 and encryptids, make sure you check out the Untold Radio 20 00:00:56.759 --> 00:01:00.600 Network for all kinds of exciting shows. It's free to subscribe. 21 00:01:00.679 --> 00:01:04.400 So what are you waiting for visit www dot untold 22 00:01:04.519 --> 00:01:06.560 radionetwork dot com today. 23 00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:09.680 Now, what are your reporting? I got a screen going 24 00:01:09.719 --> 00:01:12.120 on here. Something just kid with my dog, something to 25 00:01:12.200 --> 00:01:15.280 kill your dog? My dog. We're flying through there, over 26 00:01:15.319 --> 00:01:20.079 the tree. I don't know how it did it? Okay, Damn, 27 00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:22.640 I'm really confused. All I saw was my dog coming 28 00:01:22.680 --> 00:01:24.480 over the fence and name was dead once you hit 29 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:26.560 the grill. I didn't see any cars. All I saw 30 00:01:26.680 --> 00:01:45.120 was my dog coming over the fence. Sat, what are 31 00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:49.959 you reporting? We got some wonder or something crawling around 32 00:01:50.040 --> 00:01:58.640 out here? Did you see what it was? It was 33 00:01:59.359 --> 00:02:01.560 enough here. Look, come new to window now and I 34 00:02:01.560 --> 00:02:08.840 don't need anything. I don't want to go outside. Hello, 35 00:02:10.439 --> 00:02:12.759 hit the buddy out here? What quin? I'm out there? 36 00:02:12.759 --> 00:02:15.639 It's thought of a mention about text nine. I don't know. 37 00:02:15.919 --> 00:02:18.280 Easy ann out there. Yeah, I'm welcome right heay. 38 00:02:19.080 --> 00:02:23.000 Welcome back to another installment of our series National Park Nightmares, 39 00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:26.360 where we continue to explore some of the most disturbing 40 00:02:26.360 --> 00:02:30.800 disappearances and unsettling mysteries to ever take place in our 41 00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:35.400 nation's most beautiful and unforgiving wild spaces. These are the 42 00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:38.439 stories that leave us with far more questions than answers, 43 00:02:39.039 --> 00:02:42.360 stories where the line between accident and something far more 44 00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:46.960 sinister becomes impossible to ignore. Tonight, we're starting with a 45 00:02:47.039 --> 00:02:50.000 case that's haunted the towering peaks and deep forests of 46 00:02:50.039 --> 00:02:54.560 Colorado for more than six decades. It's the heartbreaking and 47 00:02:54.639 --> 00:02:58.120 deeply disturbing story of a little boy named Robert Bobby 48 00:02:58.159 --> 00:03:00.639 bees Up, a ten year old who've vanished from a 49 00:03:00.680 --> 00:03:04.319 Catholic summer camp in the shadow of Rocky Mountain National Park. 50 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:07.879 What happened to Bobby on that summer afternoon in nineteen 51 00:03:07.919 --> 00:03:11.280 fifty eight has never been fully explained, and the more 52 00:03:11.319 --> 00:03:14.479 you learn about this case, the more unsettling it becomes. 53 00:03:15.400 --> 00:03:18.759 This is a story of innocence lost, a massive search 54 00:03:18.840 --> 00:03:21.960 that turned up nothing, and a grim discovery high on 55 00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:25.639 Mount Meeker that should have brought answers but instead only 56 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:29.520 deepened the mystery. It's a case that stretches beyond simple 57 00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:33.680 tragedy into the dark shadows of betrayal, cover up, and 58 00:03:33.840 --> 00:03:37.759 unanswered questions that persist to this day. So settle in, 59 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:42.520 because Bobby Bisop's story is just the beginning. In the 60 00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:45.319 summer of nineteen fifty eight, ten year old Robert Bobby 61 00:03:45.360 --> 00:03:48.439 Bezup left his home in Denver, Colorado, for a week 62 00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:52.000 at Camp Saint Malo, a Catholic boys camp nestled at 63 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:55.719 the foot of Mount Meeker just outside Rocky Mountain National Park. 64 00:03:56.719 --> 00:03:59.439 Camp Saint Malo was a place of adventure and reflection 65 00:04:00.039 --> 00:04:04.120 where boys hiked mountain trails, fished in cold streams, shot 66 00:04:04.240 --> 00:04:07.080 rifles at the camp range, and took time each day 67 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:11.439 for spiritual devotion. It was considered a safe, wholesome environment 68 00:04:11.479 --> 00:04:14.800 for young Catholic boys to explore the outdoors under the 69 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:19.319 guidance of seminarians and priests. For Bobby, Camp Saint Milo 70 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:22.879 was a familiar place he had visited several times before, 71 00:04:23.319 --> 00:04:27.000 despite the challenges he faced. Born to Joe and Connie 72 00:04:27.040 --> 00:04:30.519 buzz Up, Bobby was their only child. He was nearly 73 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:34.120 completely deaf and relied on lip reading, sign language, and 74 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:37.480 a hearing aid in his left ear to communicate. Although 75 00:04:37.519 --> 00:04:41.839 he had difficulty speaking, especially when upset or frightened, Bobby 76 00:04:41.879 --> 00:04:44.439 was known as a sweet natured, trusting child with an 77 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:48.240 adventurous spirit. No one could have imagined that Bobby's visit 78 00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:51.360 to Camp Saint Milo in August nineteen fifty eight would 79 00:04:51.519 --> 00:04:54.560 end in tragedy and spark one of Colorado's most enduring 80 00:04:54.639 --> 00:04:58.920 and unsettling mysteries, a story that more than sixty years 81 00:04:58.959 --> 00:05:02.519 later would still be raising troubling questions about the circumstances 82 00:05:02.519 --> 00:05:05.199 of his death and about those who were responsible for 83 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:09.199 watching over him. On the afternoon of August fifteenth, nineteen 84 00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:11.720 fifty eight, Bobby was part of a group of boys 85 00:05:11.759 --> 00:05:14.600 fishing at Cabin Creek, a short hike from the main 86 00:05:14.680 --> 00:05:18.399 camp lodge. According to camp staff, the boys had been 87 00:05:18.399 --> 00:05:21.560 instructed to return to camp for dinner. Bobby was told 88 00:05:21.600 --> 00:05:24.759 by a counselor to head back early. The councilor later 89 00:05:24.800 --> 00:05:27.720 claimed that Bobby followed his directions and left the group alone, 90 00:05:28.279 --> 00:05:31.759 presumably making his way back along the familiar path, but 91 00:05:31.800 --> 00:05:35.439 Bobby never arrived. By evening. When it became clear he 92 00:05:35.519 --> 00:05:39.759 was missing, counselors organized a search. What began as a 93 00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:44.519 routine check soon escalated into something far more serious. Night 94 00:05:44.600 --> 00:05:48.920 fell and Bobby was nowhere to be found. He was deaf, alone, 95 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:52.160 and vulnerable in the rugged terrain of the Colorado wilderness. 96 00:05:52.959 --> 00:05:56.439 As news spread of Bobby's disappearance, an extensive search and 97 00:05:56.519 --> 00:05:59.839 rescue effort was launched, it became one of the largest 98 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:04.319 in Colorado history up to that time. Searchers included the military, 99 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:09.040 National Park Service, personnel, state and local law enforcement, as 100 00:06:09.079 --> 00:06:13.240 well as hundreds of volunteers from the surrounding areas. Bloodhounds 101 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:15.800 were brought in to pick up Bobby's scent, and plains 102 00:06:15.839 --> 00:06:19.000 flew overhead scouring the forests and mountains for any sign 103 00:06:19.079 --> 00:06:22.439 of him. The search covered every inch of ground surrounding 104 00:06:22.439 --> 00:06:25.600 Camp Saint Malo and the slopes leading into Rocky Mountain 105 00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:30.000 National Park. Searchers on horseback, on foot, and in the 106 00:06:30.040 --> 00:06:34.879 air combed thick forests, steep ravines, and rocky ledges. Yet, 107 00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:39.519 despite days and weeks of effort, they found nothing. No footprints, 108 00:06:39.800 --> 00:06:42.560 no articles of clothing, not even a hint of where 109 00:06:42.600 --> 00:06:46.319 Bobby might have gone. After an exhaustive effort, the search 110 00:06:46.439 --> 00:06:49.879 was eventually called off. Bobby was presumed to have gotten 111 00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:53.199 lost and perished in the wilderness, his body left somewhere 112 00:06:53.199 --> 00:06:56.920 out of reach of even the most determined searchers. Almost 113 00:06:56.959 --> 00:07:00.680 a year later, in July of nineteen fifty nine of hikers, 114 00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:03.279 three councilors, and a handful of boys from Camp Saint 115 00:07:03.319 --> 00:07:08.000 Malo climbed Mount Meeker directly west of the camp. During 116 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:10.240 the hike, one of them stumbled upon a bone and 117 00:07:10.279 --> 00:07:13.600 a scrap of clothing. The councilor who made the discovery 118 00:07:13.639 --> 00:07:15.920 was Neil Hewitt, who at the time was in the 119 00:07:15.959 --> 00:07:18.319 seminary and had been among the last people to see 120 00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:22.319 Bobby alive. Further searches in the area turned up additional 121 00:07:22.360 --> 00:07:26.360 bones and more of Bobby's clothing. Dental records confirmed that 122 00:07:26.399 --> 00:07:29.879 the remains were his. His scattered bones were found more 123 00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:32.759 than two miles from the camp and nearly two thousand 124 00:07:32.839 --> 00:07:37.000 feet higher in elevation on the unforgiving slopes of Mount Meeker. 125 00:07:37.959 --> 00:07:41.560 The location was within Rocky Mountain National Park boundaries, in 126 00:07:41.600 --> 00:07:45.000 an area that searchers had already canvassed the previous summer. 127 00:07:45.879 --> 00:07:48.920 At the time, authorities concluded that Bobby had simply wandered 128 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:53.199 too far and died of exhaustion and exposure. His death 129 00:07:53.279 --> 00:07:56.079 was ruled an accident. He was laid to rest at 130 00:07:56.120 --> 00:07:59.959 Fort Logan National Cemetery by his grieving parents, Joe and Comin, 131 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:02.720 who carried the weight of their loss for the rest 132 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:06.079 of their lives for years. That was the official story, 133 00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:10.040 A tragic accident in the wild, but in the decades 134 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:14.800 that followed, troubling questions persisted. The area where Bobby's remains 135 00:08:14.839 --> 00:08:18.439 were found had been thoroughly searched the previous year. How 136 00:08:18.439 --> 00:08:22.279 could train searchers, the military and National Park rangers have 137 00:08:22.399 --> 00:08:25.800 missed his body, especially considering how close it was to 138 00:08:25.879 --> 00:08:30.240 previous search grids. More questions surfaced about the terrain itself. 139 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:34.200 Bobby was a ten year old boy with significant hearing loss, 140 00:08:34.679 --> 00:08:38.039 unfamiliar with the complexities of the area. How could he 141 00:08:38.080 --> 00:08:41.840 have climbed so far over such rugged, steep terrain without 142 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:45.600 being seen. The answers never came, and with time, the 143 00:08:45.639 --> 00:08:50.720 story faded into a painful memory until recently, in twenty 144 00:08:50.759 --> 00:08:54.080 twenty one, investigative reporter Kevin Vaughan of nine News and 145 00:08:54.159 --> 00:08:57.000 the Nine Wants to Know Team brought new attention to 146 00:08:57.039 --> 00:09:02.200 Bobby's case. Their investigation uncovered deeply disturbing revelations about Camp 147 00:09:02.200 --> 00:09:04.840 Saint Malo and some of the men who were responsible 148 00:09:04.840 --> 00:09:08.000 for the boys in its care. Neil Hewitt, who had 149 00:09:08.039 --> 00:09:09.879 been one of the last people to see Bobby and 150 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:13.399 who later discovered his remains, was later accused of molesting 151 00:09:13.440 --> 00:09:17.480 at least nine boys across four Colorado parishes after being 152 00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:20.840 ordained in nineteen sixty two. He left the priesthood in 153 00:09:20.919 --> 00:09:24.279 nineteen eighty two. Other councilors at Camp Saint Malo in 154 00:09:24.360 --> 00:09:28.679 nineteen fifty eight, Harold Robert White and Gerald Roppola, were 155 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:33.240 also later revealed to be prolific child abusers. White in particular, 156 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:37.200 became one of Colorado's most notorious pedophile priests, with more 157 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:41.559 than seventy known victims. Nine Wants to Know also uncovered 158 00:09:41.559 --> 00:09:46.600 inconsistencies in the official timeline. Hewitt reportedly found Bobby's remains 159 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:50.639 on July third, nineteen fifty nine, yet Father Richard Heister, 160 00:09:51.039 --> 00:09:54.000 the camp's director, did not report the discovery to the 161 00:09:54.080 --> 00:09:57.799 National Park Service until three days later, on July sixth. 162 00:09:58.559 --> 00:10:02.320 The delays, the over lapping testimonies, and the disturbing history 163 00:10:02.320 --> 00:10:06.279 of those involved prompted federal authorities to reopen Bobby's case. 164 00:10:06.759 --> 00:10:10.440 Then came an even more stunning development. Early in twenty 165 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:13.600 twenty one, federal investigators obtained what is believed to be 166 00:10:13.720 --> 00:10:17.720 Bobby Bisup's skull. For decades, it had been in the 167 00:10:17.720 --> 00:10:21.600 possession of a Colorado family. Doctor Tom McCloskey of Denver 168 00:10:21.679 --> 00:10:24.960 came forward and turned over the skull to investigators. He 169 00:10:25.000 --> 00:10:29.080 revealed that his father, doctor Joseph McCloskey, a prominent member 170 00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:32.000 of the Catholic Church and a close friend of father Heister, 171 00:10:32.559 --> 00:10:36.200 had originally had the skull in his possession. After his 172 00:10:36.240 --> 00:10:39.320 father's death in nineteen eighty, Tom took possession of it, 173 00:10:39.840 --> 00:10:42.440 knowing only that it was the skull of a boy 174 00:10:42.480 --> 00:10:46.000 who disappeared from the camp. For years, Tom tried to 175 00:10:46.039 --> 00:10:49.240 research its origins but found nothing until he watched the 176 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:52.879 Nine Wants to Know documentary Mystery on Mount Meeker in 177 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:57.600 late December twenty twenty. Realizing the skull might belong to Bobby, 178 00:10:57.919 --> 00:11:01.279 he contacted authorities and turned it over. The skull had 179 00:11:01.320 --> 00:11:03.879 been kept in a paper sack in his basement for years. 180 00:11:04.679 --> 00:11:07.720 DNA testing is now underway to confirm whether it is 181 00:11:07.759 --> 00:11:11.519 indeed Bobby's, but records from nineteen fifty nine show that 182 00:11:11.559 --> 00:11:16.200 Bobby's skull was never found during the original recovery. Larry Collins, 183 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:19.279 a seasonal National Park Service employee who helped with the 184 00:11:19.279 --> 00:11:23.720 search that year, confirmed this fact. A Park Service report 185 00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:27.320 also made no mention of a skull being recovered. This 186 00:11:27.399 --> 00:11:31.159 discovery adds a chilling new layer to Bobby's story. The 187 00:11:31.240 --> 00:11:34.039 prevailing theory is that father Heaster took possession of the 188 00:11:34.080 --> 00:11:37.320 skull after Bobby's remains were found, and later gave it 189 00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:42.000 to his friend, doctor McCloskey. Father Heaster has since passed away, 190 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:45.000 but his nephew told nine wants to know that he 191 00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:50.159 finds the situation deeply disturbing and incomprehensible. What were they 192 00:11:50.200 --> 00:11:54.840 hiding for? Long time prosecutor rich Orman? The findings are appalling, 193 00:11:55.759 --> 00:11:59.200 It's astounding, he said, and to me, it shows a 194 00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:02.279 guilty mind. I don't think you do something like this 195 00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:06.240 to a family without a guilty mind. Orman is not 196 00:12:06.360 --> 00:12:08.879 alone in his belief that there was an intentional effort 197 00:12:08.919 --> 00:12:13.039 to hide critical evidence in Bobby's case. The Archdiocese of 198 00:12:13.039 --> 00:12:16.759 Denver has stated they are cooperating with federal investigators and 199 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:20.039 have provided all the materials they have from their archives. 200 00:12:20.919 --> 00:12:24.080 But the troubling legacy of clergy abuse at Camp Saint 201 00:12:24.120 --> 00:12:28.840 Malo and the unanswered questions surrounding Bobby's death remain. Why 202 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:32.039 was Bobby's skull hidden, why did it take more than 203 00:12:32.080 --> 00:12:36.399 sixty years for it to resurface, and most importantly, what 204 00:12:36.559 --> 00:12:40.480 really happened to Bobby Bisop on August fifteenth, nineteen fifty eight. 205 00:12:41.320 --> 00:12:44.519 For Bobby's family, the resurfacing of his story after all 206 00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:50.039 these years, has reopened old wounds. His cousin, Harriet Dudach said, 207 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:54.080 poor Bobby, he needs justice, you know, laid to rest 208 00:12:54.360 --> 00:12:55.240 and rest in peace. 209 00:12:55.960 --> 00:12:56.559 It's sad. 210 00:12:57.399 --> 00:13:00.360 She added that the revelations from the investigation left her 211 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:03.720 in shock. Somebody could write a book about this, a 212 00:13:03.759 --> 00:13:07.039 mystery book, and there would be no ending. That's how 213 00:13:07.080 --> 00:13:11.279 I feel. All these years, nobody knew anything, and then 214 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:14.039 all of a sudden a year or two ago, this 215 00:13:14.159 --> 00:13:18.639 came up, and it was such a shock. Federal investigators 216 00:13:18.639 --> 00:13:21.840 with the National Park Service and FBI continue their efforts 217 00:13:21.879 --> 00:13:25.440 to piece together the truth. They hope that modern forensic 218 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:28.759 science and new testimony will finally provide the answers that 219 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:32.879 Bobby Bisop's family has long sought. But until then, the 220 00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:36.159 tragic story of Bobby Bisop remains one of Colorado's most 221 00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:40.120 haunting unsolved cases, a tale of innocence lost in the 222 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:43.840 Colorado Wilderness, of trust betrayed at a place that was 223 00:13:43.879 --> 00:13:46.919 supposed to be safe, and of a mystery that refuses 224 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:50.399 to rest. As we close the file on Bobby's case, 225 00:13:50.759 --> 00:13:53.440 a young man whose sudden disappearance and the fragments left 226 00:13:53.480 --> 00:13:57.559 behind have haunted investigators and his loved ones alike, were 227 00:13:57.639 --> 00:14:01.120 left with a familiar sense of unfinished busines, business, a 228 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:06.120 life paused mid sentence, a mystery that resists resolution. And 229 00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:09.200 while Bobby's story raises countless questions about what can go 230 00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:13.360 wrong in the wilderness, it's far from unique. There's something 231 00:14:13.399 --> 00:14:17.519 about remote places, vast stretches of untamed land where the 232 00:14:17.600 --> 00:14:21.840 rules seem to shift and logic loses its footing mountains, 233 00:14:21.840 --> 00:14:24.799 forests and open spaces that seem to swallow people whole, 234 00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:29.120 leaving little behind but theories and echoes. And it's in 235 00:14:29.240 --> 00:14:33.559 this space, the gray area between fact and folklore, that 236 00:14:33.639 --> 00:14:37.039 we find our next story. This time we travel back 237 00:14:37.039 --> 00:14:39.559 to the summer of nineteen eighty one, high in the 238 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:43.320 Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, a place known for its 239 00:14:43.399 --> 00:14:48.799 rugged beauty, steep granite cliffs and crystalline alpine lakes. It's 240 00:14:48.840 --> 00:14:51.360 a place where nature draws you in with its serenity 241 00:14:51.840 --> 00:14:56.440 and sometimes refuses to let you go and stay tuned 242 00:14:56.480 --> 00:14:58.679 for more Sasquatch ott to see We'll be right back 243 00:14:58.720 --> 00:15:06.120 after these messages. This is where fourteen year old Stacy 244 00:15:06.120 --> 00:15:09.159 ann Aaris vanished without a trace in what should have 245 00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:12.159 been a simple afternoon walk during a horseback riding trip 246 00:15:12.320 --> 00:15:16.159 at Yosemite National Park. But what began as an ordinary 247 00:15:16.200 --> 00:15:18.960 outing quickly spiraled into one of the park's most puzzling 248 00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:22.879 and enduring mysteries, and nearly half a century later, we're 249 00:15:22.919 --> 00:15:27.279 still asking what happened to Stacy ann Aris. In the 250 00:15:27.320 --> 00:15:29.799 summer of nineteen eighty one, a fourteen year old girl 251 00:15:29.919 --> 00:15:33.080 named Stacy ann Airis vanished without a trace in one 252 00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:38.679 of America's most iconic national parks, Yosemite. Her disappearance remains 253 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:43.000 one of the park's most baffling unsolved mysteries. Stacy was 254 00:15:43.039 --> 00:15:47.000 an active, bright teenager from Saratoga, California. She was a 255 00:15:47.039 --> 00:15:50.840 white female, standing five feet five inches tall, weighing about 256 00:15:50.840 --> 00:15:54.440 one hundred twenty pounds, with straight shoulder length blonde hair. 257 00:15:55.240 --> 00:15:57.639 On the day she went missing, Stacy was wearing a 258 00:15:57.639 --> 00:16:01.200 white pullover windbreaker, a white jaur blouse with a square 259 00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:05.440 neckline and lace trim shorts with vertical maroon and white stripes, 260 00:16:05.480 --> 00:16:08.879 along with intermittent sky blue pin stripes and gray hiking 261 00:16:08.879 --> 00:16:12.480 boots with vibrum soles. She also had a gold tone 262 00:16:12.519 --> 00:16:15.399 anklet and wore a dental retainer on her upper teeth. 263 00:16:16.200 --> 00:16:19.120 Stacy and her father were on a special father daughter trip, 264 00:16:19.559 --> 00:16:22.360 part of a guided four day High Sierra Loop tour. 265 00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:26.840 The group, totaling ten people, was riding mules through Yosemite's 266 00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:31.720 breathtaking wilderness. On July seventeenth, nineteen eighty one, they arrived 267 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:35.600 at Sunrise High Sierra Camp, situated at an elevation of 268 00:16:35.720 --> 00:16:40.120 roughly ninety four hundred feet, around three pm. This remote 269 00:16:40.200 --> 00:16:43.639 camp offers sweeping views of alpine meadows and lakes and 270 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:48.240 serves as a stopover for hikers and mule riders. After arriving, 271 00:16:48.279 --> 00:16:51.440 Stacy took a shower and settled into her cabin. She 272 00:16:51.559 --> 00:16:54.480 expressed interest in stretching her legs after the mule ride 273 00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:57.919 and decided to take a short hike. Her plan was 274 00:16:57.960 --> 00:17:01.799 to walk to nearby Sunrise Lakes, a popular scenic spot 275 00:17:01.840 --> 00:17:05.039 about one and a half miles from the camp. Stacy 276 00:17:05.119 --> 00:17:08.400 wasn't planning to hike Alane. She invited a seventy seven 277 00:17:08.440 --> 00:17:11.359 year old man from their group to a companier They 278 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:14.440 started off together, but the man quickly tired and sat 279 00:17:14.480 --> 00:17:18.279 down to rest not far from the trail. Stacey continued 280 00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:21.839 walking a short distance ahead. At one point, the guide 281 00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:24.000 who had led the mule group, who was tending to 282 00:17:24.039 --> 00:17:27.279 the animals at the camp corral, spotted Stacy standing on 283 00:17:27.319 --> 00:17:30.519 a rock about fifty yards south of the trail. He 284 00:17:30.599 --> 00:17:33.240 later said she appeared to be either admiring the view 285 00:17:33.359 --> 00:17:37.559 or possibly taking photographs. Stacy had reportedly brought a small 286 00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:41.039 camera on the hike. That brief glimpse was the last 287 00:17:41.119 --> 00:17:45.079 confirmed sighting of her. When Stacy didn't return promptly, her 288 00:17:45.119 --> 00:17:48.839 father and others in the group became concerned. By evening, 289 00:17:48.839 --> 00:17:52.200 a formal search was initiated. The search for Stacy was 290 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:57.240 immediate and extensive. Yosemite's search and rescue team was quickly mobilized. 291 00:17:57.960 --> 00:18:01.359 Over the following days, more than one hundred personnel were involved, 292 00:18:01.720 --> 00:18:07.319 including ground teams, dog handlers, mounted units, helicopters, and even divers. 293 00:18:08.200 --> 00:18:13.279 Searchers meticulously combed the rugged alpine terrain, covering cliffs, lakes, 294 00:18:13.319 --> 00:18:16.119 and dense forest areas around the camp and along the 295 00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:20.440 trail to Sunrise Lakes. Despite the massive effort and ideal 296 00:18:20.440 --> 00:18:24.720 weather conditions at the time. No significant clues were ever found, 297 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:28.839 no clothing, no camera, no personal items, and not a 298 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:32.519 single track or sign of Stacy turned up. The search 299 00:18:32.599 --> 00:18:36.119 was ultimately scaled back after about nine days and Stacy 300 00:18:36.279 --> 00:18:41.279 was declared missing. Several factors make Stacy's disappearance especially puzzling. 301 00:18:41.960 --> 00:18:44.519 She was last seen within sight of the camp, in 302 00:18:44.559 --> 00:18:47.799 an open area, not far from others. It wasn't a 303 00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:51.640 remote or isolated trail. Her intended hike was a short 304 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:55.240 one and a half mile round trip. Stacy was reportedly 305 00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:59.359 in good physical condition and accustomed to the outdoors. Despite 306 00:18:59.400 --> 00:19:02.559 thorough search using dogs and aerial support, not even a 307 00:19:02.640 --> 00:19:06.960 hint of evidence was found, no footprints, belongings, or clues 308 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:11.359 indicating where she went. She simply vanished silently, with no 309 00:19:11.400 --> 00:19:14.240 one hearing calls for help or signs of an accident, 310 00:19:14.720 --> 00:19:17.640 which is strange in an area where sound travels easily. 311 00:19:18.599 --> 00:19:22.039 Many theories have been suggested over the years. Some believe 312 00:19:22.119 --> 00:19:25.119 Stacy fell or became injured in a hard to reach area, 313 00:19:25.640 --> 00:19:28.480 perhaps falling into one of the steep granite shoots or 314 00:19:28.559 --> 00:19:32.200 hidden crevices that litter the region. Others wonder if an 315 00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:35.440 animal attack was responsible, though there were no signs of 316 00:19:35.440 --> 00:19:40.000 a struggle or remains. More speculative theories suggest Stacy might 317 00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:43.599 have been abducted, although no evidence supports this theory either. 318 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:47.960 Some paranormal enthusiasts have even tied her case to mysterious 319 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:51.720 disappearances in wilderness areas, often linked to the so called 320 00:19:51.759 --> 00:19:56.400 missing four one one phenomena. Officially, Stacy ann ARUs is 321 00:19:56.440 --> 00:19:59.799 still classified as missing. Her case remains open with the 322 00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:04.000 now National Park Service and law enforcement agencies. Over the years, 323 00:20:04.039 --> 00:20:07.480 there have been no credible leads or developments, No remains 324 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:10.680 have ever been recovered, and no physical evidence has surfaced 325 00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:13.720 to shed light on what happened to her. In the 326 00:20:13.799 --> 00:20:17.119 years since her disappearance, Yosemite officials have been reluctant to 327 00:20:17.160 --> 00:20:20.640 release detailed reports about the case, which has fueled further 328 00:20:20.759 --> 00:20:25.799 mystery and speculation among researchers in the public. Stacy's disappearance 329 00:20:25.880 --> 00:20:28.200 is often cited as one of the strangest and most 330 00:20:28.279 --> 00:20:31.519 chilling cases of a person vanishing in a national park. 331 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:35.279 It serves as a sobering reminder of how quickly and 332 00:20:35.359 --> 00:20:38.920 quietly someone can go missing, even in the presence of 333 00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:42.960 others and under seemingly safe conditions. Her family never gave 334 00:20:43.079 --> 00:20:46.000 up hope, and her story continues to be told in 335 00:20:46.039 --> 00:20:49.480 an effort to find answers, or at least bring closure. 336 00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:52.799 The case of Stacy ARUs remains one of the most 337 00:20:52.839 --> 00:20:56.799 haunting disappearances in the history of our national parks. A 338 00:20:56.799 --> 00:21:00.400 young woman full of life and potential vanishes se aemingly 339 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:03.920 without a trace on a bright afternoon in Yosemite. No 340 00:21:04.039 --> 00:21:08.519 clear evidence, no definitive answers, just a string of agonizing 341 00:21:08.599 --> 00:21:11.480 questions for her family and for those who continued to 342 00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:15.680 search for meaning in these remote wilderness vanishings. And while 343 00:21:15.720 --> 00:21:19.400 Stacy's story took place in nineteen eighty one, decades before 344 00:21:19.920 --> 00:21:23.279 and in a different park altogether, it's impossible to hear 345 00:21:23.319 --> 00:21:26.960 it and not draw comparisons to another puzzling case, this 346 00:21:27.000 --> 00:21:30.920 one much more recent, but no less mysterious, a case 347 00:21:30.920 --> 00:21:33.799 that unfolded hundreds of miles away in one of the 348 00:21:33.799 --> 00:21:38.200 most iconic and treacherous landscapes in America, the Grand Canyon. 349 00:21:39.359 --> 00:21:43.400 On March thirty first, twenty eleven, Adam Clayton Lyle Jones, 350 00:21:43.559 --> 00:21:46.640 a twenty three year old from Gulf Breeze, Florida, left 351 00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:49.640 his family home and embarked on a cross country road trip. 352 00:21:50.480 --> 00:21:54.599 Like Stacy, Adam was young, independent, and familiar with travel. 353 00:21:55.319 --> 00:21:59.680 His family described him as quiet but thoughtful, intelligent, and creative. 354 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:03.920 His parents, who remained largely private about their lives, raised 355 00:22:03.960 --> 00:22:06.440 him in a close knit household in the small coastal 356 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:10.079 town of Gulf Breeze. Nothing in his background suggested he 357 00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:14.200 was impulsive or reckless. Yet, for reasons that still aren't clear, 358 00:22:14.599 --> 00:22:17.799 Adam set out alone, driving west in his light blue 359 00:22:17.799 --> 00:22:21.440 Oldsmobile Delta eighty eight, a car that was already a 360 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:24.079 bit of a relic. Much like his decision to travel 361 00:22:24.079 --> 00:22:28.079 without a cell phone, he packed light, taking only his laptop. 362 00:22:28.640 --> 00:22:32.720 He didn't mention any concerns. He simply said goodbye and left. 363 00:22:33.680 --> 00:22:35.880 For more than a month, no one heard from Adam, 364 00:22:36.359 --> 00:22:40.319 and then, on May fifth, twenty eleven, his car was 365 00:22:40.319 --> 00:22:43.039 found abandoned by a park ranger at the South Rim 366 00:22:43.160 --> 00:22:47.559 visitor Center in Grand Canyon National Park. Oddly, Adam had 367 00:22:47.599 --> 00:22:51.000 not yet been reported missing. It was the ranger's discovery 368 00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:53.960 in the subsequent contact with Adam's parents that set the 369 00:22:53.960 --> 00:22:58.039 official search in motion. Inside his car, searchers found an 370 00:22:58.079 --> 00:23:02.359 itinerary detailing stops in California and Colorado, but nothing else 371 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:04.720 to suggest where Adam might have gone once he reached 372 00:23:04.759 --> 00:23:08.920 the Grand Canyon. Just like with Stacy, no physical evidence 373 00:23:08.920 --> 00:23:12.160 has ever turned up to indicate what happened after Adam's arrival. 374 00:23:12.839 --> 00:23:15.279 He had no phone on him, no way to communicate 375 00:23:15.319 --> 00:23:19.880 if something went wrong, and the Grand Canyon, much like Yosemite, 376 00:23:20.079 --> 00:23:23.200 is a vast and unforgiving wilderness where a wrong step 377 00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:27.000 or a sudden change in weather can mean disaster. Yet 378 00:23:27.200 --> 00:23:30.640 in Adam's case, there were no signs of distress, no 379 00:23:30.759 --> 00:23:33.759 reports of someone fitting his description seen on the trails, 380 00:23:34.039 --> 00:23:37.319 and no personal belongings were covered in any nearby areas. 381 00:23:38.119 --> 00:23:41.839 The similarities are hard to ignore. Both cases involve young 382 00:23:41.880 --> 00:23:45.000 adults who vanish without a trace in popular national parks 383 00:23:45.359 --> 00:23:50.039 under circumstances that defy easy explanation. In both cases, there 384 00:23:50.079 --> 00:23:54.240 were thorough searches, yet nothing substantial was ever found, and 385 00:23:54.279 --> 00:23:57.759 both cases have left families grappling with the ache of uncertainty, 386 00:23:58.240 --> 00:24:02.119 still searching for answers all these years later. But Adam's 387 00:24:02.119 --> 00:24:05.799 case also raises some unique questions. Why was his car 388 00:24:05.880 --> 00:24:09.799 parked at the visitor center for days, maybe weeks before 389 00:24:09.799 --> 00:24:14.160 anyone noticed. Did he follow his planned itinerary or did 390 00:24:14.200 --> 00:24:17.839 he veer off course? Was he perhaps seeking solitude or 391 00:24:17.880 --> 00:24:21.400 something spiritual, as some have speculated, or was he the 392 00:24:21.480 --> 00:24:25.839 victim of a tragic accident or something more sinister. Some 393 00:24:25.920 --> 00:24:29.240 even wonder whether foul play could have been involved, although 394 00:24:29.240 --> 00:24:33.039 there's been no direct evidence of that. Others theorize he 395 00:24:33.079 --> 00:24:36.599 may have chosen to disappear intentionally, but his close ties 396 00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:40.519 to his family make that theory harder to believe. Today, 397 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:45.319 Adam Clayton Lyle Jones remains missing. His case, much like 398 00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:48.799 Stacy ann Aris's, is a chilling reminder of how easy 399 00:24:48.839 --> 00:24:51.640 it is to vanish in the wild, even in places 400 00:24:51.640 --> 00:24:54.480 that are supposed to be safe and well traveled, And 401 00:24:54.559 --> 00:24:57.960