Great Smoky Mountain National Park Disappearances

[Music] X law enforcement and author of the missing form on Ceres David Politis alongside his kin I'm missing team have investigated thousands of unusual disappearances throughout the national parks of America these disappearances generally hold some eerily similar qualities and coincidences that you may not expect Politis himself was first approached by two off-duty Park Rangers who led him down a strange rabbit hole of people seeming to vanish it's a thin air throughout the National Park System now all of the disappearances you will learn about throughout this video took place in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park you will find links to all of the sources used throughout this video in the description below [Music] the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most popular national park in the United States by far hosting well over 10 million people annually according to the National Park Service the Great Smoky Mountains gets more annual visitors than the Grand Canyon Yosemite and Yellowstone combined the park itself was established in 1934 and is comprised of rich upon rich of seemingly endless forest on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee it's called the Smokies due to the often present fork that hangs over the range and looks like large smoke plumes from a distance this national park has been the home to some incredibly strange disappearances often leading the park rangers and law enforcement alike to display some level of confusion and is precisely where this first disappearance took place this incident demonstrates the danger and trouble a group disintegrating can cause 21 year-old mark Hanson from Newports Kentucky alongside Ben fish and John Chichester who were both from Preston Burke Kentucky made the trip to hike on the Appalachian Trail the three men were intelligence individuals and students from the Eastern Kentucky State University they were good friends and wanted to spend some time together during their spring break that year their plan was simple to begin their hike of the Appalachian Trail at the Big Creek Ranger's station at the east end of the park from there they would hike approximately 16 miles to the tricorn and op shelter this is a journey that's what proved to be a good challenge for most as the routes in question requires a climb of over 4600 feet over its course while the group were aware that the weather was going to be bad they certainly weren't prepared for just how bad it actually got the three men set off on their hike on the 9th of March 1975 and as often is the case the weather had been particularly terrible at that time of the year the days preceding the trip saw flooding rains at lower elevations and heavy snow at higher elevations and in the early hours of the 9th a tornado had touched down in the park despite this the three men continued on with their plans but unfortunately they were not appropriately equipped for this hike at the time they didn't have waterproof jackets and were wearing cotton which lacks the ability to block the wind unlike wool which could have made all the difference shortly after the group left the trailhead the weather took a turn for the worst the wind picked up speed and it began to snow heavily somewhere between low Gap and the Cosby Knob trail shelter John had enough John's halt the others thus he was drenched cold and didn't think he possessed the ability to make it all the way under the conditions presence so he turned around and headed back to the car approximately one mile from the points where John turned back mark and Ben continued on and passed the shelter at Cosby Knob it was at this point that their journey began to gets increasingly dangerous the remaining two was still facing an incredibly challenging or pill battle literally the men were still hiking uphill daylight was running out fast and the wind and snow was still hitting them hard at this point they had managed to make it's a camel gap but this was only around halfway to their intended destination at try corner Cosby knob and it's warm shelter was much closer but the pair didn't want to turn back and give up the ground they had covered so they continued on its importance and notes that the men were in good physical condition and would be considered fit by anyone's definition butts at this point in the hike they were completely spent they had no energy left and still had miles upon miles to go uphill this was no easy task and especially in the weather conditions present this was a perilous situation to be in it's at this point that mark was showing clear signs of hypothermia while Ben was handling the weather better mark told Ben that his backpack was too heavy and it was slowing him down so he dropped it on the trail Ben did fight and made the case that it was vital as he picked it back up and continued on with it but it was too late mark was no longer thinking rationally and had made his decision they continued on and made it to Mount Gyo at 7 p.m. Ben was still taking point and encouraged mark to carry on the pace which he somehow managed to do for another hour and a half at 8:30 p.m. the men we're surrounded by total darkness the temperature was plummeting further and the snow was still falling hard mark was shivering badly at this point and saw Ben that he couldn't go on any further and dropped to the floor Ben tried his best it gets him up but mark couldn't Ben traveled another 200 yards desperately hoping to come across help but ultimately realized that he too couldn't make it any further and got in his sleeping bag unfortunately for the pair they didn't know that the shelter at Tri Connor was just another 200 yards away from Bend Ben was obviously feeling the effects of the weather and exhaustion as he recalled either dreaming or actually hearing mark shouting for help Ben got up at 7 a.m. the following morning and went so locate mark but she wasn't there no tracks could be seen and several inches of snow laid on the ground bed then made his way to try Connor alone for help Ben managed to find help and the search began though they couldn't locate a single trace of mark anywhere after this search failed Ben called the National Park Service and mark was reported missing on the 11th searchers found Mark's backpack in the same location he had set it down undisturbed they also thoroughly comb the area he was last seen but couldn't locate any evidence of his presence the 12th of March would see search and rescue numbers swell and the area was scoured alongside nearby caves but nothing was found the search escalated over the next week and grid search is continued supported by helicopters and dogs Mark's body was eventually found on March the 17th at 2:00 p.m. according to david Politis mark was located two miles down book Fork Creek from the Appalachian Trail searchers found mark leaning against a tree is Parker open and his gloves and boots lying nearby in the snow mark was carried to a helo site where he was hour lifted out of the park Polaris goes on to note that his is highly unusual that give a max exhaustion that he managed to travel a further two miles to the Ponte was located david also knows that it is strange that mark didn't have his shoes ah gloves on when he was found while I do agree that the circumstances are unusual in the terms of distance traveled I do have some criticism for David's reporting of this case not once did he mention that mark either was or could have been suffering from hypothermia which honestly the signs were there and is completely rational in this case given the low temperature clothing worn and harsh weather conditions at the time this could be a possible explanation as to why the Parker was open and the clothing items came off for those that don't know this paradoxical dressing is caused by the latest stages of hypothermia where the person will stutter remove clothing as their blood vessels swell and tighten which makes them feel irrationally hot when in reality this is obviously not the case again while I do see David's points about traveling a further two miles off trail being so much strange I feel the possibility and likelihood of suffering from hypothermia and its effects on a rational thinker simply should have been mentioned in this instance ultimately even if this doesn't account for everything I don't know why this omission of information occurred here speaking of accounting for everything something that I couldn't find much information on was the origin of marks cry for help it remains a mystery as to whether been actually heard this or if it was simply a dream he's just not sure but if it was real what caused it could that point to something untoward taking place however it's important to note that they never found any evidence of foul play or any sort of struggle if the scream was real we may be missing a vital key to the puzzle in this incident and given that mark was exhausted and couldn't move earlier went Ben tried to get him up off the floor it's certainly strange that he somehow managed to travel another two miles thereafter could this indicate that he was moved there somehow although as mentioned there was no sign of a struggle taking place it's unlikely that we will ever know for sure what exactly happened to mark Hanson but it remains highly unusual anyway moving on let's explore another unusual disappearance in the Great Smoky Mountains I'm not sure if David Politis has personally spoken about this incident but many online sources have [Music] suzan a mother of three often called Mitzi by her friends and loved ones was 53 at the time of her disappearance Susan went missing while hiking with their 20 year old daughter on September the 25th 2018 on this particular day Susan and her daughter we're hiking near Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains susan disappeared at approximately 5:00 p.m. on the day in question very close to the parking lots the women were about a quarter of a mile away from Andrews bald on the fawni Ridge Trail when her daughter made the decision to hike ahead a short distance with the intention of turning around and meeting back up at the parking lot Susan's daughter wanted to make the climb up to the Clingmans Dome observation tower this is a climb of over six thousand six hundred feet a climb that Susan didn't want to do and agree to meet up at the parking lots it's unclear precisely how long the pair was separated for but it's thought that it wasn't a significant amount of time when the daughter arrived back at the parking lot she couldn't find her mother anywhere initially not thinking much of it she waited around for a while and then retraced her steps back onto the trail but couldn't find a trace of Susan a couple of hours had passed now and she began to panic and contacted the park authorities the park authorities conducted their own search around the area in question but soon contacted outside help 175 traight searches with drones sniffer dogs and helicopters from 50 search and rescue organizations helped park staff in the large scale search of the area but nothing was found unfortunately however the search was made more difficult as a result of the weather conditions at the time fogs flooded the forest along with rain making visibility very limited temperatures also dropped to the low forties which is essentially single digits for those more familiar with Celsius the weather made it very difficult to coordinate the search effectively especially since it was accompanied by lack of phone coverage in the area in response to this Verizon stepped up and deployed a possible cell tower in the area to assist with the organization of the search efforts at this point it was now the 1st of October and the searches had hiked their grid search over 500 miles on and off trail this is an incredibly rugged area and searches were left before that they couldn't find a single trace of her anywhere given the significant resources part into the search on an interesting side note Susan's disappearance took place in very close proximity to that of treneil in Gibson who disappeared in 1976 I'll link that video at the top of this one now but I'll also put is in the description below if you want to learn more Susan's disappearance was deemed very strange as it seems to have happened very quickly and no evidence was left behind no signs of a struggle ripped clothing or anything of that nature the area in question was close to the parking lot and was well signposted it's hard to believe that she had simply gotten lost and left the trail Susan's body was found late the following night on the second the citizen x comm reported the search for Clements lasted a week and involved 175 trained personnel from five states and some 50 organizations helicopters drones and k-9 unit's it's ended when her body was found the night of October the second an incredibly thick vegetation down the steep Hogan's Creek drainage in Swain County two miles west of the Clingmans Dome parking lots and three-quarters of a mile south of the Appalachian Trail there was no foul play suspected according to an autopsy report Susan had passed away as a result of hypothermia given the low temperatures and weather conditions at the time hypothermia is a likely consequence given that the pair only intended a day's hike and went carrying supplies or heavy weight clothing however while this may be true if reports are to be believed that the area is well signposted why did Susan travel two miles west from the parking was her rational broker to the point of absolute confusion odd it's something else take place here was she somehow prevented from going further towards the parking lots it's unclear and remains a very strange disappearance what happened to Susan Clements [Music] thirteen-year-old brat lovey's spending the day with his parents Randy and Nancy and some of their friends at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the 28th of March 1993 brats parents had decided that they wanted to travel to Rainbow Falls located on Mount Laconte Trail as the name might suggest Rainbow Falls is an absolutely breathtaking waterfall sitting at an elevation of 3,200 feet or roughly just half of the six thousand six hundred foot mount Laconte it resides on the family and friends were having a great day hiking together but things would take a turn for the worst at some points during the late afternoon it's not clear exactly how or where this took place but at some point during the hike Brad must have become separated from the rest of the group as he was no longer with them the group never heard any thumps indicating a fall or any noise to suggest that something was wrong no screams are calls for help I've read a couple of reports of this incidents and all of them including David polite is's state that the trail is clearly marked making the fact that brad had somehow disappeared even stranger the parents began to panic and alongside the others in the group they began to search their immediate area and also retrace their steps hoping to recover their son but this would it be the case in fact they couldn't find a single trace of Brad so abandon the search and went back down the mountain to alert the authorities the search for Brad was massive and the individuals tasked with finding him arrived in force armed forces from Fort Campbell Kentucky arrived on scene along with five helicopters each equipped with infrared sensors the search also managed to attract the attention of 150 backcountry experts who joined the search on the 2nd of April 1993 The Times daily reported the primary search area is only about a half mile wide and soon a half miles long the search has been underway since shortly after Brad's disappearance on Sunday this search area indicates that the National Park service alongside other experts agreed that Brad must have been located within that area as he couldn't have traveled very far given the terrain at this point it's important to reiterate that the group's goal was to reach Rainbow Falls at a three thousand two hundred foot elevation where as Brad went missing at a roughly three thousand foot elevation the search escalated over the duration of the search as more and more people began to hear about the event and volunteered to assist Brad's body was found on day six of the search and he was located in a steep a rugged area around half a mile away from the Rainbow Falls Trail two days after their initial article The Times daily reported on the fourth the National Park Service official said that the boy's body was found by a park volunteer and a coworker of Randy Levy's the discovery was made at the base of an unnamed 80 to 100 foot waterfall on a tributary of Lacan C Creek about 2,000 feet of the Rainbow Falls Trail searches said that they were surprised at how far and how high the boy had traveled he was found at the upper limits that we searched at about 4,800 feet the area is so steep and so thick it'ld that the possibility of him going that far was something that surprised everyone this took them by surprise for good reason this means that what he's being suggested is that Brad climbed another 1600 feet by himself after he had gotten lost Brad's family didn't know how to take this information and also Express confusion as they didn't believe that he would have made it to peel that far given the rugged terrain the family ended up refusing to visit the body as they said that the trip to it was incredibly dangerous and difficult so this begs the question of how Brad managed to get to that location in the first place young people generally traveled downhill not uphill when they are lost as it is far easier to do so Park officials conducted an investigation on the scene and the body was there for quite some time before being moved Politis went on and stressed the point that because the body had it's been moved he felt that the Park Service must have found something unusual in the area at the bottom of the waterfall ultimately the park official stated that the cause of passing was as a result of head trauma this was confirmed by Lisa McNeil a spokeswoman for the University of Tennessee Medical Center who had this to say the boy passed from a massive head injury and multiple traumas no autopsy was performed a visual inspection was declared satisfactory by doctors to pronounce the cause generally speaking when an incident such as this occurs an autopsy is conducted in order to ensure that foul play can be completely ruled out something doesn't quite add up in this instance in the end Brad passed away under highly unusual circumstances how did he get lost and why did he travel uphill why was an autopsy not considered appropriate here again no one present heard or saw anything to indicates that anything was wrong and yet Brad went missing on a clearly mat trail right under the noses of his family and friends what happened to Brad lovey's [Music] Velma Pauline Melton often called poly by her friends and the Swans 58 years of age at the time of her disappearance went on a hiking trip with her husband Bob and two of her close friends in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the 25th of September 1981 they were on the Deep Creek Trail nearby the campground in the park the trail in question is fairly easy and is it very strenuous on the body Thelma had been hiking this trail for 20 years and as a result was very familiar with the routes before we get into what's happened it's important to note that Bob was much older than Thelma at 78 years and on the day in question Bob was tired and wanted to sit the hike out as his health didn't really allow for much walking so Bob stayed inside their Airstream trailer while Thelma and two friends went out on a leisurely hike along her familiar trail the ladies were having a great time together but it's at this point that things get bizarre Thelma wanted to pick up the pace and walk just the head of their two friends and walked over a small hill and briefly out of line of sight of the other two as her friends walked over the same hill they said that Thelma was nowhere to be seen the French said that it was strange but thought that she may have just picked up the pace again and would see each other back at the trailer they made it back to the trailer at 4:30 p.m. but Thelma wasn't there and Bob said that he hadn't seen us if they all left together at this stage its importance and notes that the friends never heard anything out of the ordinary or anything to suggest that something was wrong Velma's friends went back to the area in question and began to search was unfortunately couldn't find anything to suggest which direction Thelma may have gone she was reported missing as 6:00 p.m. that evening and a much larger search efforts were soon underway according to unsolved Appalachia a.org over the course of that week over 150 people searched for Polly as well as nine search dogs at swamp points was alerted to a tree that was downed and searches believe that she may have stopped to rest there for a moment they didn't pick up on s sense at any other locations not so much as a trace of polly was found the idea of someone taking Thelma was explored by detectives but they came to the conclusion that this was highly unlikely Thelma was almost 6 feet tall and weighed around 180 pounds which is why they deem this event as unlikely or at the very least some evidence of this should have been left behind but there was none to be found in fact no trace of Thelma has ever been found there were no tracks the dogs never picked up a scent again and it's unclear what happened could Thelma have vanished intentionally this was a possibility that was questioned but no evidence of this was ever found whatever happens a filmer must have happened very quickly as soon as she passed over that small hill she was never seen again animal predation would have been obvious as there is generally a scatter left behind but in this case nothing I'd love to hear your thoughts in regards to this incidence and all cases mentioned throughout this video do let me know your thoughts please do leave a like if you liked this video or a dislike if you did it feel free to share your honest opinion I'd like to hear your thoughts and I'd just like to take a while to thank all of you that subscribe to the channel and we'll share these videos I appreciate it a lot and I can't thank you enough I'd also like to say a massive thank you to my patrons who make these videos possible so thank you very much to all of signed up anyway do let me know what you thought of this one and you'll find all of the sources and links in the description below as always thank you very much for watching I hope that you enjoyed this video and if you did and remember to Like and subscribe if you haven't already it helps me a lot I hope that you have a great day or evening depending on where you are be safe guys and I'll catch you soon peace [Music] you

Channel: Top Mysteries

Views: 271,478

Rating: 4.801168 out of 5

Keywords: Missing 411 - Great Smoky Mountain National Park Disappearances, missing 411, missing 411 national park, david paulides, national park disappearances, missing 411 national park disappearances, national parks, strange missing 411 disappearances, missing 411 national park missing, missing 411 great smoky mountains, missing 411 great smoky mountains national park, missing 411 hunted, missing 411 the hunted, missing 411 strange

Id: qw_iZQ3gvek

Length: 25min 7sec (1507 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 02 2019