Alan Douglas Visher Missing Since 1962 From a Hike in California's Kings Canyon National Park

Missing Person: Alan Douglas Visher

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased):

Alan Douglas Visher was last seen at approximately 2:00 PM on Wednesday, July 18th, 1962, at Dog Creek in Tehipite Valley, Kings Canyon National Park, California, after hiking with a Sierra Club group. He was part of a group of 50 hikers and was noticed missing at 7:00 PM when the group reached Simpson Meadow.

Anyone researching this case should note that his name was spelled "Allen" in a lot of newspaper journalism from the time of his disappearance. You need to research both Alan and Allen for keyword entry.

Last contact: Wednesday, July 18th, 1962, approximately 2:00 PM
Last location: Kings Canyon, California - Dog Creek, Tehipite Valley (area is described as east of Fresno in newspaper article, 18 miles north of Cedar Grove)

July 20, 1962. The Berkeley Gazette.

Age when Alan Douglas Visher disappeared: 12
DOB: Between July 19th, 1949, and July 18th, 1950
Sex: Male
Height in inches: 48–58
Weight in pounds (lbs): 75–100
BMI: 18.3–28.8 - Healthy to overweight based on the data that NamUs gives but the range is huge. In his pictures, he looks lean. Furthermore, hiking is a physical activity and I think that suggests reasonable fitness.
Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
Hair color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinctive Features: No Information Entered
Link to Government Source: NamUs MP148200 (right-click to open)

Clothing Worn When Last Seen

Item	Description	Details	Source
Wide-brim straw hat	Straw hat	Wide-brimmed	NamUs
Shirt	Brownish shirt	No further details	NamUs
Jeans	Blue jeans	No further details	NamUs
Boots	Redwing boots	No further details	NamUs
Backpack	Backpack with sweater and food	No further details	Oakland Tribune, July 23, 1962

Unraveling the Mystery: Key Insights and Updates

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: August 21st, 2025

Alan Douglas Visher, a 12-year-old Caucasian male who vanished on Wednesday, July 18th, 1962, in Kings Canyon National Park, California, was last seen at approximately 2:00 PM that day. He was hiking with a Sierra Club group of 50 people near Dog Creek in Tehipite Valley. A part of a large group that included siblings and his mother, members of the hiking group noticed Alan missing by 7:00 PM when the group reached Simpson Meadow. 

He was last seen wearing a wide-brim straw hat, a brownish shirt, blue jeans, and Redwing boots. He was also carrying a backpack with a sweater and food. Despite a multi-agency search, no trace of Alan was found in the immediate aftermath of his disappearance. Nor has any trace of him turned up in the six decades since his disappearance.

The journalism from 1962 indicates that there was a large search for this missing youth. Rangers, helicopters, mountain climbers, and bloodhounds all assisted in search.

He went missing at an elevation of 6000 feet, meaning his chances of surviving just one night would be complicated. The hiking trip he was on was described as a 10-day trip, meaning the group would have the means to cope with night-time temperatures but Alan did not have much himself when he went missing. The youth had a sweater in his backpack but little more that would offer warmth with temperatures likely to dip to the 30s or 40s in that area (0C-10C) during the night. There was still a search going on as of July 22nd, 1962, but the journalism is pessimistic about his chances of being alive.

July 22nd, 1962. The Press Democrat.

Comparisons: Trenny Gibson and Others

In terms of similar cases, Alan Visher's disappearance reminded me the most of the disappearance of Trenny Gibson. She was a part of a large group hike when she went missing, just as Alan was.

I looked at numerous missing person cases a few years back where hiking was central to the person's disappearance. One of risk factors, of course, is a dangerous trail. Hiking alone is another significant factor and this can include hiking with a group  when the person separates from the group for a short time.

I thought that this must have happened with Alan Visher but scenarios are speculative. Reasons why someone might separate from a group during a hike has to do with pacing and the differences in hiking speed naturally creating separation between group members. Another reason might simply be someone going off trail for a short time to use the washroom.

But the mystery with Alan was that he was not found despite a huge search. That will bring in questions of abduction. This is a connection to the Trenny Gibson case, because abduction has been considered in conjunction with her disappearance despite the difficulties involved with abducting from a large group of hikers. It would be one on-the-spot abductor who is in the middle of a natural area and targets an isolated youth at the perfect time, seemingly with people all over the place.

There were rivers in the area and creeks. People who are known to have entered rivers before disappearing have remained lost for ages. I did wonder if that's what happened to Alan somehow. With little water, he would be dependent on waterflow to stay hydrated once lost and that creates the chance that he was swept away, which could explain why the large search failed.

I also think that missing hikers, who are facing hypothermia at night, put themselves in hiding spots inadvertently. Their main concern during the night would only be trying to stay warm -- not putting themselves in an obvious place to be found. I raised this point with the disappearance of Paula Jean Welden, a long-missing hiker in Vermont.

Furthermore, I watched a survival video years ago, the name of which now escapes me. But it recommended burying yourself in dirt to fight hypothermia during the night, if lost in the woods or a natural area. You can see how such an action could help prolong your struggle against the environment but it could also hide you from the people who are looking for you. If you succumbed to hypothermia after seeking an enclosed area or after burying yourself in foliage, then you would effectively have hidden yourself from your rescuers.

I think this missing person is only found through luck at this point. His Redwing boots are the item most likely to stand the test of time, in my opinion. But anyone finding them might not recognize the relevance unfortunately.

Grok's depiction of Redwing boots from the era and place.

Missing Trail Hikers -- Recognizing the Patterns

Author: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: April 7th, 2021

Introduction to Missing Trail Hikers

I have been looking at both NamUs and Canada's Missing databases for missing people for the last couple of weeks. In particular, I have been interested in missing person cases where a hiking trail is central to the disappearance. The tag I've associated with all blog posts at this site that have to do a trail and/or a missing hiker is "trail hiking series." You can find this hashtag at the end of this blog post. By clicking on it, you will bring up all the related articles.

When I first thought of the "trail hiking series," admittedly, I wanted to look at about 40 cases that involved trails and/or hiking. However, I have fallen short of that for the time being. Nonetheless, even in a small sample space of cases, I've been able to recognize a couple of distinct patterns with missing people whose case files are associated with nature trails and/or hiking. Please, have a look at the two patterns below that emerged as I studied several cases.

Lost Hikers: Recognizing the Patterns

Pattern #1: An unfit, unequipped, and solo hiker uses a dangerous trail. He or she is not heard from again but his or her vehicle is found at the trailhead or parking lot for the park or trail network.

I selected six cases where Pattern #1, as described above, fits quite well. However, missing person cases aren't made with a cookie cutter: there are deviations. The six bullet points below restate Pattern #1 and provide an area where I will discuss what I mean by each point. The cases that basically fit the pattern then follow.

(1) The missing person was not fit for the hike. 

• Unfit for a hike could describe someone who was obese, however, it could also mean someone who was injured, had a medical ailment, or needed medication.
• In the six cases I looked at, I recall individuals that were either obese by BMI, walked with a limp, had a heart condition, required medication for seizures, or were well out of their primes.
• Only two of the six missing persons that I looked at, David Barclay Miller and Paula Jean Welden, were seemingly fit individuals in the primes of their lives.
• But even in their cases, a question could be posed if their fitness levels were equal to the trail ahead: Miller, in particular, may have had to burden himself with a very heavy load of water.

(2) The missing person went on a dangerous trail or one that is considered difficult.

• In assessing the danger level of a trail, I relied on AllTrails.com. I also looked at videos of the trails taken by YouTube publishers. 
• What I found was that people who went missing on trails often used dangerous trails. 
• This might seem straightforward forward, but the point is still worth making: though hardly foolproof, it suggests that something accidental happened to them instead of something illegal.
• That's especially likely given the poor physical condition many of them were in.
• I recall one case where an individual hiked in an area that other hikers had deemed unsafe and avoided. I recall a trail that was exceptionally lengthy in one case.
• Also, I recall a multi-day trail through desert conditions. In another instance, I recall a missing person using a trail known for encroaching on steep edges that were often intersected with small waterfalls directly falling on the trail.

(3) This missing person hiked alone, even if he or she was seen by others or informed people of his or her plans. 

• The six cases I include all featured solo hikers. They may have been seen by other hikers or park staff, but none hiked in tandem or in groups.

(4) The missing person failed to supply himself or herself properly. 

• Not bringing water or food or adequate clothing is a significant reoccurrence in the missing person cases. All kinds of ailments can affect someone who doesn't have proper clothing for a hike. Not having enough water can lead to dizziness, confusion, and dehydration. It can also lead to reliance on water sources along the trail, which might cause fevers.

(5) The missing person's abandoned vehicle was found at the trailhead or the parking lot for the trail network.

• This was a significant reoccurrence in the selected missing persons cases involving hiking trails, however, it wasn't 100% pervasive. Paula Jean Welden's case didn't mention a car and that is significant. She was a hitchhiker and, of course, a disappearance due to that risky activity could be what caused her disappearance instead of a hiking-trail mishap.

(6) My opinion: the totality of the circumstances suggests a non-clandestine disappearance (ie. it seems more likely that a hiking accident happened than something criminal in nature). 

• Did the person disappear on purpose, by accident, or due to the criminal actions of someone else? That's always a question in a missing person case.
• However, when I read most of the cases, I did think that the people that disappeared were likely accident victims or victims of the elements as opposed to victims of criminals.
• Paula Jean Welden is a tough case in this regard: she was last seen on a hiking trail, but she had hitchhiked to the trail. There is a question if she tried to hitchhike home or if she got lost in the forest. She was, in fact, lost even before arriving at her chosen trailhead and it was nearly dusk.

Of course, some of the points above could appear and, I'm sure, have appeared as topics in safe-hiking guides. Concerning the first point, you should select a trail that's appropriate for your health and fitness. You should definitely hike in twos or at least use trails that are popular and unrisky if you are alone. You should also bring a lot of water for the trail and some high-calorie food, not to mention a change of clothes or something you can add on as a layer if you end up cold. 

The cases I looked at in developing the six points are as follows. For further details on any case, please follow the link.

Joseph Lee Wood Jr. -- Missing Since July 1999 From Washington

• A man with a heart condition went hiking at high altitude without food or water or adequate clothing. Hikers that saw him last said they turned around due to dangerous conditions, but Joseph seemed to trudge on into those dangerous conditions. His vehicle was found near the trailhead.

Jessie Hoover -- Missing Since May 1983 in Maine

• A middle-aged woman who needed daily medication targeted a multi-day hike without any kind of preparations.

Carol Marlene Ferguson -- Missing From Washington Since 2017

• An 83-year-old woman who may have had dementia went on a difficult trail. Her truck was found near the trailhead.

David Barclay Miller -- Missing in Arizona Since 1998

• A young man went on a multi-day hike in the desert. There was a question as to whether he had enough water. His vehicle was found.

Wayne Falconer Wikel -- Missing Since 1992 From Oregon

• A man approaching his middle-aged years had a limp from a leg injury. He went on a very difficult and dangerous trail that was nearly 30 miles in length. His vehicle was found at the trailhead.

Paula Jean Welden -- Missing Since 1945 From New Hampshire

• She hitchhiked to a trail and arrived just before dusk one evening in December without provisions or warming clothing. 

Pattern #2: A duo or larger group takes to the hiking trails. A woman within the duo or group decides to rest instead of partake in the entire hike. While she rests, others in her duo or larger group complete the hike. When they return to collect the resting woman, she is not there. Furthermore, she's never seen again and it's unclear if something clandestine is involved or if she fell victim to a hiking mishap.

This pattern can be summarized with the following points:

(1) The missing person is a woman. 

• In five of the six cases that I looked at that resembled this pattern, the missing person was a woman.

(2) The missing person is originally part of a duo or larger group that's on a hiking excursion.

• This was present in all cases. Usually, the missing person started out on a hike with a group. But in one case, the missing person started out on a camping excursion.

(3) The missing person voluntarily separates from the group.

• This happened in each case. The reasons for the separations vary, but the missing person stopping to take a rest is common. In another case, the missing person voluntarily went on a separate hike than the group from the origin point. In another case, the missing person had a different walking speed than the group, and that created drifting. In another case, a little boy ran ahead of the group perhaps in youthful excitement.

(4) The missing person is not seen again.

• In only one of the six cases was a trace of the missing person found. In another case, some reported hearing the missing person scream in the night of the forest, but this was not firmly established.

(5) The investigation includes some suspicion of others in the area.

• Abduction is pretty clear in two cases. In another case, it seems that something forceful happened to the missing person. In the three other cases, it could be a hiking mishap, but there are questions surrounding other people on the trail, whether they are members of the missing person's group or not.

As is the case with the first pattern, missing person cases aren't made with cookie cutters. However, the following cases are closely related to the five points above.

A Pattern of Lost Hikers: Many Similar Cases

Olga Mauger -- Missing Since 1934 in Wyoming

The cases of Olga Mauer, Michelle Vanek, and Celeste Hensley Greub are very similar cases. Starting with Mauer, she was in the backcountry with her new husband. They were not hiking enthusiasts but were using hiking trails to scout for wild game. The husband and Olga went out into the mountains and she tired and rested while he hiked to a mountain peak. When the husband returned, Olga was gone and was never seen again although someone in the search party reported hearing her night-time calls for help. The husband came under suspicion in the aftermath but was not charged.

Michelle Vanek -- Missing Since 2005 From Colorado

Michelle Vanek went hiking with a male friend (non-romantic). She stopped to rest while he continued to advance to a summit. When he returned to find her, she was missing and has not been seen again. In this case, there was not much suspicion directed toward the friend. However, this case did mention a transient-type of character that was in the backcountry at the time.

Celeste Hensley Greub -- Missing Since 1976 From Wyoming

Celeste Hensley Greub went hiking in Wyoming with two female friends. The two friends decided to climb a nearby mountain peak while Greub rested alone. When the two friends returned to collect Greub, she was gone and has not been seen since. This case did not involve much discussion of suspicion, however, there was an indication that she was in a troubled marriage and may have been despondent.

Rosemary Theresa Kunst -- Missing in California Since 2000

Rosemary Theresa Kunst went on a camping trip with a large group. Most of the members of this group departed out on a hike, while Theresa stayed at the camp. However, she decided to embark on a short hike from the camp. When the hikers in the large group returned to camp, they did not know where Rosemary was. Eventually, a search ensued and only a tuft of her hair was found entangled in the wild-brush.

This case is a little different from the five summary points. Rosemary didn't separate from the hikers that she was on a hike with. Rather, she went on a different hike than what her fellow-campers went on. Furthermore, there was a trace of her as the hair that was found was tested to be hers. The circumstances seemed suspicious to me because I think the hair being yanked from her head, even by wild-brush, suggests that something forceful was happening to her.

Trenny Gibson - Missing Since 1976 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Trenny Gibson went on a school field trip with her classmates to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The trip involved taking an out-and-back trail. During this trip, she became isolated on the trail from her classmates. I got the impression this had to do with her having a different walking speed over a long trail. Sometime during this isolated time, Trenny disappeared and has not been seen again. This is a case that has involved plenty of suspicion against a classmate, suspicion that I've felt was not warranted. Bloodhounds that tracked Trenny's movements lead to a roadside disappearance off of the trail. One prevailing guess is that she was abducted by a stranger, possibly at knifepoint or gunpoint.

Thomas Eldon Bowman -- Missing in California Since 1957 

Thomas Eldon Bowman is the only male in this list. A young minor, he was hiking on a family outing and became separated from the group when he ran ahead to the parking lot toward the end of the outing. He has not been seen since. He was thought to have been a kidnapping victim as opposed to the victim of a hiking-trail accident.

Thomas Eldon Bowman -- Missing in California Since 1957

Details from NamUs**: 

"Thomas was last seen walking with family members on a trail in Arroyo Seco Canyon. Thomas ran ahead to the family vehicle and when his family members arrived at the vehicle the child was not there."

Missing Person: Thomas Eldon Bowman
Last-contact date: March 23rd, 1957 at about 5pm

• This could be disputed as there were witnesses that claimed to have seen him later than the time mentioned above. However, March 23rd, 1957 at about 5pm is a non-challenged sighting time.

The area where the MP was last seen: Altadena, California near the Arroyo Seca Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains above Devil's Gate Dam.
Link to government source: NamUs MP 

VITAL DETAILS

Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sex: Male
Age at time of disappearance: 8 years old
Birthdate: Thomas Eldon Bowman was born between March 24th, 1948, and March 23rd, 1949 based on his reported age at the last date of reported contact.
Hair: Blond/strawberry
Eyes: Brown
Scar: No scars known
Height/weight: 4'0" and 50 pounds

Thomas Eldon Bowman, a missing person, was last seen on March 23rd, 1957 when he was 8 years old. This missing person case is a part of a series of cases that I decided to group together that are unified by the theme of hiking or trails. Thomas was last seen on a hiking trail.

What happened, according to the early journalism, is that he was part of a six-person hiking excursion that included his father, Eldon Bowman, and "four youngsters."  Thomas "became separated" from the group, he was not found before dusk, and then the father summoned the authorities to help. The area that the boy was lost was in is the San Gabriel Mountains above Devil's Gate Dam. Below is the earliest journalism I found that mentioned the missing boy.

24 Mar 1957, Sun The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) Newspapers.com

This individual has now been missing for about 64 years as of the original publication date of this blog post. There was a lot of journalism in this case for the weeks that followed the disappearance. This case went from being a lost child-hiker to an expected abduction. Furthermore, someone tried to extort the father.

The clothing was a clue in this case. One witness said he saw Thomas Eldon Bowman in the company of a dirty/transient man. Thomas had a Davy Crockett belt buckle, a t-shirt, and jeans. The belt buckle was described by the ten-year-old witness who thought he saw Thomas.

When I read the NamUs description, this seemed like a parking-lot abduction. I didn't come across anything in the journalism that made me think otherwise. There was a ruddy transient who was known to hang around in the area of the parking lot. He was seen the night that the child disappeared but was not seen in the area afterward.

26 Mar 1957, Tue News-Pilot (San Pedro, California) Newspapers.com

29 Mar 1957, Fri The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) Newspapers.com

This case is a little different than most of the missing person cases that are associated with trail hiking. Thomas's disappearance has a little more to do with the parking lot than the trail in my opinion.

Furthermore, many missing trail hikers are adults that, I think, usually face dangers while hiking or they hike in an unsafe manner (ie. alone). However, Thomas is a young minor who, according to the prevailing theory, was likely abducted. If anything, the case reminds me of the disappearance of Trenny Gibson, however, even that case is very different.

Thomas Eldon Bowman had the following distinctive characteristic: 'missing two teeth.' This characteristic of his would only be relevant if he died close to the time of his abduction. If he aged at all then it stands to reason that his teeth would have matured in kind.

You can click the "trail hiking series" hashtag at the end of this blog post to bring up all the missing person cases profiled on this website that have something to do with nature trails or nature hiking.

Author: @UncoolNegated on Twitter

All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.

@UncoolNegated on Twitter is not a Private Investigator, however, he is currently studying to be one as of March 2021.

If you like this blog, then you can join the affiliated Facebook group: MPC Facebook Group

Website hashtag: #MPCSL

*For BMI values, I use the UPPER or HIGHER ranges that are given for height and weight.
**Text might be paraphrased. If taken verbatim, then grammar or spelling errors are not necessarily corrected from original sources.
Disclaimer: Whenever possible, government sources are preferred for getting the details of a missing persons case. However, any source that the article writer deems reputable may be used.

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A Missing Person Phenomenon -- Bloodhounds Tracking Ends at Roadside

By: Shane Lambert

Time of writing: December 8th, 2020

There are times when I don't write articles about specific cases but instead, look at something that many cases have in common. I did this previously with an article that I wrote called "Women With Car Troubles Go Missing."

In that article, I showed how a woman who experiences car troubles while driving and subsequently disappears may have been disappeared by a person who sabotaged her car. I believed such an article could improve public safety. 

I had a similar concern in mind when I wrote "Missing Kids and Their Bicycles." In that article, I looked at a known kidnapping where the perpetrator was caught. This man said that he was attracted to a road-side bicycle as he drove because he knew it meant that a young person was in the area.

I suggested in my article that this could provide insight into other cases where children are missing and only their bicycles are ever found. The child that wanders into the forest might not stumble on a dangerous stranger, he/she may have been followed after leaving his/her bicycle in a more publicly viewable spot. In this article, I was thinking that we needed to learn something -- even just a tiny detail -- about how kidnappers' minds work so as to help with similar cases in the future.

Opinions that I have like these come from reading thousands of missing person's reports -- which I have done. You pick up on patterns when you read, patterns that pertain to society and even history. On that note, I noticed a pattern with some missing children cases lately.

The following cases are thought to be unrelated and I'm sure many of them are because they occur across decades. However, they have things in common that I want to highlight to the reader because a certain formula for child abduction might highlight risk factors for the event. That formula is certainly not all-pervasive to all kidnappings but it is important to be aware of in certain channels.

The following cases all have these points in common:

1. A child (aged 17 or younger) attends a social event.
2. The event is at rural location or at a park.
3. The child disappears.
4. The area is searched extensively and the child is not found.
5. The bloodhounds come in to aid in the search and the child's footsteps* are traced.
6. The footsteps lead to a road and then the trace is lost.
7. The date of the disappearance was a holiday of some sort or a holiday weekend.

*the scent of the child is what is traced. Bloodhounds would track this scent whether it was walking or dragging.

Everyone has biases. I don't believe they make us inadequate but they should be acknowledged.

When I read the information in cases that involve the numbered bullets above, I think the child has been abducted. The reason the bloodhounds couldn't trace the footsteps further than the road is that that's where the child entered a car. This car, I assume, was driven by the abductor or a member of the abductor's team. This car then speeds away.

The following independent cases conform to the points above. Note, that the list is not exhaustive and may be added to in the future.

Case Study #1: Majorie West -- NamUS #MP7033

• Points 1-7 apply

Marjorie West went missing way back on May 8th, 1938. She was at a family picnic on what was Mother's Day, which meets point #1. The picnic also meets points #2 above because the site of the picnic was rural. One newspaper article I read on the disappearance from at-the-time journalism claimed that the girl was lost in the forest (May 9 1938/News-Herald/Page 10).

This same article said that a group of "500 men searched brush-covered Allegheny National Forest" in search of the missing girl but did not find her. Another source from the Burlington Daily News headlined "3,000 Men Search Timber Lands for Four-Year-Old Girl" (May 16 1938). Clearly, point #4 is met.

According to Page 1 of the May 11 1938 Coshocton Tribune, "bloodhounds were brot to the scene" in this case in an effort to find the child. That satisfies point #5.

Meanwhile, point #6 is satisfied as per the case details at NamUs. NamUs's description of the disappearance read, at time of writing, as follows: "Police searched with bloodhounds around the rock and down to the road where the scent trail stopped; there near the road were the violets that Marjorie had picked earlier."

Lastly, point #7 has to do with Mother's Day. That's not the most important holiday of the year but it was a special day and I do think there is significance there that I will return to.

Case Study #2: Vilate Young -- NamUs #MP73780

• Points 1-7 apply

Vilate Young went missing on July 4th, 1956 from Widstoe, Utah. That date will stand-out to anyone familiar with American culture as it was Independence Day, which meets point #7. That similarity with the Marjorie West case is interesting to me. The two cases are decades apart and are from different points in the USA. However, I think kidnappers are attracted to areas that host family events at times when the areas will be popular.

Vilate's case meets point #2. According to my research of the kidnapping. she was at a rural ranch known as the Newell Steed Ranch.

Also, my research revealed a timely search of the area where she disappeared followed up by a large search party, authorities, and more. I covered this case closely at a different part of this site. Visiting the hyperlink near the start of this paragraph will show that points 1 to 7 are all satisfied: Vilate attended a family event on a holiday, the event was rural, she disappeared from the event, the area was searched extensively, bloodhounds were brought in, and these bloodhounds traced the missing child's steps to a road. That exact same sentence could be written of Majorie West.

Case Study #3: Trenny Gibson -- NamUs #MP4524

• Points 1 to 6 all apply

The case of Trenny Gibson is one that I did research on in the fall of 2019. Trenny was last seen on October 8th, 1976 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She was 16 when she disappeared while attending a school trip. A school trip is a social event so that meets point #1 while the mountainous national-park setting of her disappearance meets point #2.

Trenny's disappearance was very strange. She was behind some friends one moment and then seemed to be gone by the next. I previously wondered if she disappeared into the bushes for a moment to relieve herself and then got lost but that in itself is difficult to picture. Conversely, animal attacks are always possible in national parks, especially if you surprise a black bear.

In previous research, I did find a history of bear attacks in the region. Importantly, if you are attacked by an animal and killed in the forest you might not be found. Scavengers or predators can bury body parts, devour them, knock them into strange places, or take them to dens. But I do find it weird that NO part of Trenny was ever found in the park.

One different possibility is that she was abducted at knife-point or gunpoint. That would explain why Trenny disappeared so quietly -- with the abductor able to demand silence from her with a weapon displayed.

According to an article on page 3 of the October 12 1976 Johnson City Press, there was a search for her that lasted 3.5 days at the time of writing. That would meet point #4, which requires an extensive search. Point #5 is almost met from information in the same article: "Rangers sealed off a spur road leading from the highway over the 6,000 foot mountains as searchers used bloodhounds and German shepherd dogs in an unsuccessful attempt to find the girl's trail." Point #5 requires that the footsteps be traced by bloodhounds and the article states that they were not successful to that end.

However, I did find a forum post at websleuths.com that may be relevant. Of course, forum posts have to be taken with a grain of salt but that doesn't mean they should be discounted. This one quoted material that stated the following: 

"A recently-opened can of beer and three cigarette butts were found on the trail near where Trenny was last seen.

Tracking dogs were immediately brought in to aid in the search. They picked up Trenny's scent and followed it 1.6 miles from the Clingmans Dome parking area to a highway roadside. On Sunday, October 10, three additional tracking dogs were brought in; working separately from the first group, the dogs tracked Trenny's scent to the same roadside. It was here that searchers discovered cigarette butts matching the brand of those found on the trail near where Trenny was last seen."

If that post is accurate, then it would satisfy the points up to #6. Bloodhounds traced the disappeared person, they traced her to a roadside, and then the trace was lost. This account of Trenny's disappearance is not uncommon. According to an article at strangeoutdoors.com:

"Searchers used about a half-dozen dog teams with Bloodhounds and German Shepherds to look for Trenny. Three of the tracking dogs picked up her scent at the intersection with the Appalachian Trail. They followed it by Clingmans Dome Tower and some of the dogs last detected her scent along the roadside about a mile and a half from Newfound Gap but then the dogs stopped, the scent had disappeared."

Another article at wbir.com echoed the use of tracking dogs that led to a roadside location.

As for point #7, regarding the day in question being a holiday, it does not apply to Trenny Gibson's case perfectly. The nearest American holiday at that time was Columbus Day. However, I will state that Trenny disappeared on the Friday before the Columbus Day weekend (Columbus Day was the Monday October 11th). I think that the holiday should still be factored in looking at the similarities between these cases.

Analysis of Case Studies 1-3

I think Case Studies 1-3 should be thought about. They are all American but other than that, they cannot really be connected in terms of geographical space. The cases span a wide range in America and they also span decades so I don't see much reason to connect them to one perpetrator. Instead, I think that kidnappers across time and space just think alike when they try to plan their crimes.

All three of the kidnapped minors were in rural locations attending some kind of social event. All three had their footprints tracked to a roadside location where the trail abruptly ended. All three went missing either on a holiday or on a holiday weekend if we broadly construe Friday afternoon to be a part of a weekend.

It could be that kidnappers, quite simply, are attracted to these family-oriented parks and facilities at times when families are going to be going to them. It could be that they then look for the child that gets separated from the flock and that child gets targeted. 

Trenny was separate from a group when she disappeared and her trail was tracked to a road. Vilate was separate from a group when she disappeared and her trail was tracked to a road. Marjorie was separate from a group when she disappeared and her trail was tracked to a road. 

I think that kidnappers often lay in wait at venues where they expect children: parks and family recreation areas during peak times (ie. holidays or holiday weekends) fit the bill. When opportunities arise, they pounce and take the child to a parked car. That's why the trails ended roadside as the bloodhounds can't really follow the car.

Of course, one of the lessons is one that's already known. It's not that you shouldn't go to the park or have a picnic or go to the mountain trails. However, it is that minors should never really be ignored -- not even for a very short time.

In the case of Marjorie and Vilate, they were toddlers that could be tricked. In Trenny's case, I wonder if she was ushered off with a knife or a gun as that might be what's needed to keep her quiet and not alert the other members of the school group.

Another lesson here just has to do with what I believe to be a modus operandi. History does repeat itself as certain as these cases span three different generations.

There is loads of conjecture or just straight fluff when it comes to commenting on missing person's cases. Animals attack people, people get lost on their own, people can voluntarily disappear on their own, and people can suffer mishaps like falling into crevices, rivers, or down cliffs. But if the bloodhounds are telling you the missing person went to a road then assume they went to a car in contrast to the other possible explanations. If you are reading about a missing person's case where the 7 points fit then my recommendation is to treat that as abduction first and the other possible scenarios as secondary. 

Olga Mauger, Missing Since 1934 -- NamUs #MP27783

By: Shane Lambert
Time of writing: December 7th, 2020

Olga Mauer has one of the older cases that is still listed at NamUs. She went missing on September 17th, 1934, from the wilderness near Dubois, Wyoming.

She had black hair, her eye color is not listed, she was 21 years old at the time of her disappearance, she was 5'5" to 5'9", and she weighed between 120 and 150 pounds. NamUs says that she "and her new husband went scouting for elk, camping up at Togowotee Pass when she went missing." Below are the key details regarding this missing person, as per what is available at NamUs.

Key Details from Olga Mauer's NamUs Profile

Category	Details
NamUs Case Number	MP27783
Full Name	Olga Mauger
Biological Sex	Female
Race / Ethnicity	White / Caucasian
Missing Age	21 Years
Current Age	Deceased - Would be 112 years old
Date of Last Contact	September 17, 1934
Missing From	Dubois, Wyoming
County	Fremont County
Missing From Tribal Land	No
Primary Residence on Tribal Land	No
NamUs Case Created	February 20, 2015
Circumstances of Disappearance	Olga Mauger went missing near Togwotee Pass while elk hunting with her new husband.
Height	5' 5" - 5' 9" (65 - 69 Inches)
Weight	120 - 150 lbs
Hair Color	Red/Auburn
Left Eye Color	Blue
Right Eye Color	Blue
Distinctive Physical Features	No Known Information
Clothing	Riding trousers, a man's shirt, a gray and blue pullover sweater, and a green felt tam
Footwear	High-laced boots
Accessories	A hand-axe was fastened to her belt; she carried a sack lunch
Transportation	No Information Entered

Points That I Found While Researching Olga's Case

1. The earliest newspaper coverage that I could find of her disappearance was from September 20th, 1934, in the Jackson's Hole Courier (front page; the points below until No. 10 are from that article)
2. An airplane was used in the search for her
3. Two-Gwo-Tee Pass is how the area is spelled
4. There were "scores" of men involved in the ground search
5. The husband reported her missing at a camp; he said that he left her resting while he pursued "big game"
6. The searchers believed that they found tracks of the woman's about "eight miles from where she was last seen" but this was later disputed
7. Olga Mauger had been married just six days earlier
8. She was only "lightly clothed" and likely would not have survived the night due to the altitude, according to those familiar with the area
9. She was believed to have had three sandwiches but no blanket
10. Mr. Mauger was reported to have been in a sleepless state over the ordeal
11. She went missing on a Monday afternoon; one article said that cries for help were heard from a canyon on the Wednesday night that followed (Casper-Star Tribune/Sept 20 1934/Page 1; points to No. 15 are as per this source)
12. The husband's name was Carl S. Mauger as per this source. As per another one, it was Carl R. Mauger. The print in these old newspapers can be hard to read and maybe to blame. The middle initial is likely "S," in my opinion
13. The camp they went to was called the Floyd Stalnacker camp
14. Carl said that he left her to rest in the forest, but when he returned, he could not find her
15. No one had any hope of her being alive by the soonest Friday (Casper-Star Tribune/Sept 21, 1934/Page 1; points 17 and 18 as per this same source)
16. A paper sack of hers was found; she had used it to carry lunch
17. Her tracks were reportedly found in a wooded area known as Turpin Meadows
18. The search continued into October, but there were periods when inclement weather caused stoppages (Casper Star-Tribune/Oct 3, 1934/Page 10; Points 20 to 22 are from this source)
19. There were reports that she had been found, but these were not true
20. The county attorney said he intended to question the husband, a man who stayed in the frontier area during the entire search; the husband claimed that he had not been arguing with his wife
21. The period that he claimed to have left his wife alone in the forest was a mere 20 minutes, which was later seemingly contradicted
22. Olga Mauger had a doppelganger in Bridgeport, Nebraska, that had to be ruled out as the missing woman (Casper Star-Tribune/Oct 14 1934/Page 11)
23. The husband was held in jail as per an article in the October 9th 1934 Casper Star Tribune (Page 10); he had the unfortunate luck of resembling a man with a warrant out for his arrest, a man with the name Carl Mager as opposed to Carl Mauger; Mauger didn't have the birthmark that Mager had
24. Heavy snow in the region ended all hope of finding her
25. In 1941, Carl Mauger filed for divorce from his missing wife. They married on September 11th, 1934, and she disappeared on September 17th of that year as per the Casper Star-Tribune, May 6/1941, Page 5.
26. This same source said that no trace of the missing woman was ever found. It also said that the search was intensive but was affected and hindered by snow.
27. A major piece on the disappearance was published in the San Francisco Examiner on Nov 23 1941 -- page 81
28. It says that the husband married Olga's "rival after seven years of waiting"
29. Bloodhounds were used in the search, as per the SF Examiner
30. Olga's younger sister believed that the missing person had a motive to disappear
31. Olga's maiden name was Schulz
32. The balance of the Nov 23, 1941, piece is that there should be suspicion around the husband because of his other romantic interest and suggestions of friction in the days after the wedding between Carl and Olga
33. Olga was wearing tan breeches, lace boots, a blue shirt, and a green and grey pullover tam. She had a little hatchet in a belt and a paper bag with sandwiches.
34. In this source, Carl is cited as stating he had returned much later than 20 minutes, the time he had promised to return.
35. Indian trackers were employed to apply "their special talents." These were people who were believed to have the skill to tell whether a stone had been turned recently or years earlier.
36. A Casper Star-Tribune article on the 20th anniversary of the disappearance said no more was known of her fate than the day she disappeared. This is pretty much true as of the time of writing this article as well.

What confused me with this scene is that Olga and her husband Carl were on a big-game hunting expedition. I've assumed that Carl had a gun. I've wondered, on that note, if simply firing this into the air or firing a blank might have helped his wife find him in the immediate aftermath of her disappearance. However, I found nothing that conclusively said that he had a gun with him as they were on a scouting mission to find elk, perhaps intending to hunt them at another time.

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Theories and Suspicions Surrounding Her Disappearance

There was suspicion surrounding the husband, but my personal feeling was that he did not kill her. The one article that cast him poorly for marrying his wife's rival was not convincing. Anyone might wish to remarry if his or her spouse is missing for seven years, especially under the conditions that Olga went missing. That the next wife was a rival of hers only speaks to his affections for both women, not to something diabolical. Furthermore, I found no mention of a murder-for-life-insurance motive.

But one interesting point of view that would look to increase the husband's guilt was made by one of the 20 Indian trackers who were asked to lend their skills to the search. I think it's important to point out that these Indians were people who weren't assimilated like modern Indians. These were people who would have been raised by Indians who actually lived off the land, and, in 1930, I think these Indians would have had a lot of the outdoor skills that their ancestors had. That they were sought for their tracking abilities speaks to a level of authority that they had in the region.

These people said that the footprints that were found eight miles away were NOT Olga Mauger's. What's also interesting is that these Indians said that Carl Mauger's path away from his wife would have kept him in full view of her sitting place from the moment he left her to the moment he claimed he turned around.

If true, that's something powerful to consider: the scene the Indians described was rugged and difficult terrain but wide open for viewing (September 23rd 1934 Casper Star-Tribune):

"The Indians said the footprints found eight miles from the spot where Mauger said he last saw his wife, were not those of the missing woman. They also pointed out that, although the country is rugged, it is open and that Mauger was in full view of the place, where he claimed he left his wife until he reached a small path where he said he turned around and retraced his steps."

I don't think the footprints eight miles away were those of the missing woman's. That's a huge distance to hike. In fact, some hikes in uneven terrain of that length would take an already-tired individual all the sunlight hours at the time of year that Olga went missing.

If the husband is to be treated as a suspect, then it calls into question the last time someone other than him saw his wife. They did camp alone, away from a group that was also in the area.

But the scenario the husband offered as an explanation isn't a bad one in my view. His wife grew tired before him, which makes perfect sense given the differences in physical abilities between the sexes. He wanted to get up the peak and said he would be 20 minutes to return. It ended up taking him much longer, which jives with my personal hiking experience. Points that appear close in wide-open terrain actually can take a long time to reach.

What if he took an hour to return or more? Does Olga get mad waiting, or does she think that she has to go get help out of fear that something happened to him? If she can't navigate her way back to the camp, then she is lost with little food as the evening looms.

Furthermore, her screams might have been heard, and her lunch bag was found -- in my mind, those circumstances both mitigate the suspicion that a reasonable person might direct toward the husband.

What Happened to Olga Mauger? Theories Explored

Olga might have panicked when her husband didn't return, attempted to make her way back to their camp, and got lost. She then suffered from exposure to the elements. This opinion might not totally jive with the Indians' point of view, though, because according to their assessment, the two people never would have been out of view of one another in the wide-open area. How, then, could they become separated? A counterpoint to that calls into question the strength of the eyes of the two people and exactly how far they were from one another. If Olga loses sight of her husband just for a few moments, then it might have been enough to cause her to panic.

People claimed that they may have heard her screams come from a canyon at night -- the third night that she was missing. Surely, this would be a time when she would be most desperate and near her life's end. I do believe that they did hear screams because they would echo in a canyon. Furthermore, since canyons are the low points in a region, it's where the night-time air would be the least frigid and thus most attractive to someone facing the hardships of the mountain nights.

Why Olga Mauger’s Remains Were Never Found

She couldn't live forever with no food or heat. There were snowstorms in the area, meaning that a dead body could get covered up. Natural areas swallow up a lot of evidence.

Also, animals move bodies or parts around, including to secret spots like underground dugouts or dens. Lastly, if the area had avalanches then they could move her body to low points that one would not think to search, even after the spring melt of the next season. When someone dies in a forest, there are, in fact, loads of ways that the body can still be moved around.

Chances are, in my opinion, that Olga is within a couple of miles of her last-known location, long dead. Her remains might not be intact, but something of her is there.

That the area was scoured over by hundreds of people doesn't mean that they couldn't miss her. Many people are found not far from where they went missing, years after their disappearance, despite extensive searches taking place.

Vilate Kerreen Young -- NamUs #MP73780

By: Shane Lambert

Published: December 5th, 2020

Vilate Kerreen Young is new to NamUs. Her profile was only uploaded to the missing person's website on September 19th, 2020. However, her last-seen date is well before then: she went missing on July 4th, 1956 from Widtsoe, Utah. The gap between her last-seen date and the upload-to-NamUs date is immense, spanning over 64 years. It's the gap that caught my attention and I decided to read up on the case for a little while tonight.

Vilate was just 15 months old when she disappeared. She was at a family picnic at the Newell Steed Ranch near Bryce Canyon, Utah. According to NamUs, "She was watching one of her relatives churn ice cream near one of the farm's outbuildings when she walked away. Airplanes and bloodhounds attempted to track the little girl, but she was never found." She disappeared wearing a light-cotton dress and sandals.

What sticks out with this case is the young girl's age. Obviously, she could not have gotten far on her own at the age of one year and three months. That suggests to me either abduction or a terminal fate at the hands of a wild animal, one that then took her away to an area that was not searched -- like a den.

Carnivores, even ones that don't attack humans, can be particularly attracted to babies, possibly because human babies are not able to mount any kind of counterattack when preyed upon. When it comes to small animals making off with children, there are a lot of precedents. Keep in mind the well-known case of Azaria Chamberlain, a two-month old baby that was taken away by a dingo in Australia.

That Vilate might have been taken away by a carnivore is possible. One newspaper article I read from about the time of the disappearance stated that 100 men "searched the wild and barren foothills of the Escalante Mountains" for the girl the day after she disappeared (July 6th, 1956; Page 25; The Salt Lake Tribune). 

The same article contained some important information that's not mentioned at NamUs. The last person to see her was Vilate's three-year-old cousin. This cousin said, "Vilate is going up the hill and won't come back." That is an interesting nugget of information because it paints a picture of a child doing something of her own volition instead of being kidnapped. Conversely, the statements made by three-year-olds may not be comprehensive.

The bloodhounds that tracked the girl were able to follow her for 500 yards before they lost the scent of her. That's five American football fields and, according to the statement of her cousin, it would have included going uphill. One physician that commented on the matter said the girl would not have been able to make the distance on her own. In fact, I don't know that a 15-month child could do that on her own either but if she was separated from her parents at the family picnic, then she might have had a strong will to find them. Dragged by an animal is one explanation while abducted is the other. Deseret News from July 7th, 1956 had a great picture of the scene, one that I repost here for posterity.

In the journalism from the time of the child's disappearance, kidnapping is seen as credible. When I look at the picture above, I see the bloodhounds losing the child's trail at what appears to be a road. To me, that suggests that the child entered into a car. From the same source as to where I got the above picture, it should be noted that the bloodhounds followed the girl's scent five times and each time they followed the same route. This does not appear to be a case of dogs erroring.

The news article does suggest that the end of the scent at the road speaks to abduction. However, it counter suggests that vehicles using the road may have unsettled the dust -- thereby ending the bloodhounds' abilities to follow the child's scent. I would be more inclined to believe in the former -- that this was a kidnapping, simply because of the exhaustive search of the area by what one source called 200 men over several days. These men, when asked, opined that she was likely taken away in an automobile. I do confer some credibility to that as I believe people that are on-site working on a problem have likelihoods dawn on them that are not to be discounted. 

Furthermore, a family-team of 20 searched the area for her about 10 minutes after she disappeared. That's according to Deseret News on March 12th, 1957. It seems that wherever the child went that she went away from the area quickly. I'm sure that a family-lead search for a 15-month old tot would have been eager, urgent, and as thorough as possible. This same source reviewed the opinion of law enforcement, which stated that the general opinion of these professionals was that she had been kidnapped. 

The news in 1956 basically stopped before the end of the month on the matter. The parents placed classifieds which included the picture that's included at NamUs. Also, they expressed gratitude to everyone who helped with the search.

As far as happy endings go, kidnapping seems to be the only plausible one that would involve Vilate's survival.

But one troubling part of this case is that it is hard to picture the sequence of events that lead to her disappearance according to the statements cited in the journalism at the time of the disappearance. Firstly, she is surrounded by family members who are watching a 17-year old churn ice cream. Then, Vilate wanders off and is spotted by a three-year old cousin heading up a hill.

What drove her to that? Youthful curiosity or a drive to find her parents and a juvenile instinct that they are on the other side of the hill? Was the possible abductor with her all along and the 3-year old cousin simply didn't mention this person? If the abductor was with Vilate at an early point after she left the group at the ice-cream churning, then wouldn't the abductor be rushed? Accordingly, wouldn't the abductor be carrying the child? If so, then what scent were the dogs following? The airborne child's doesn't seem likely. Or did Vilate Young wander 500 yards or a portion of 500 yards from the ice-cream churning and then stumble onto one on-the-spot kidnapper in a horrific stroke of bad luck?

This case doesn't have a clear picture but at least kidnapping is the most plausible theory. That's a good thing because kidnappers do not always murder their victims. Given how young the victim was there is a chance that Vilate Young is still alive as of 2020. She would have been born in early 1955, meaning as of 2020 she could be 65 years old.

The possibility of finding her is enhanced with DNA advancements. If she or a child or grandchild ever enters his or her DNA into the increasingly popular databases that are emerging, then it might create a way to deduce her existence at a certain time and place. In my opinion, this case is cold but not necessarily for all-time.

Missing Kids and Their Bicycles - Cases of Dario Cicolecchia, Janice Pockett, and Others

By: Shane Lambert

Season 2 of Forensic Files included an episode (Episode 12) that offers key insights for those studying missing persons cases. The episode covers the 1993 disappearance of Dario Cicolecchia, a boy in Switzerland, whose case led to a murderer’s capture and revealing statements about his methods. This case provides a nugget of information worth considering for similar mysteries.

Dario Goes Missing: Secluded Area, Unwittingly Leaves Trail for Pedophile to Follow

Dario went missing after leaving home on a bicycle to go fishing. He was later found dead and mutilated in a Swiss cornfield. Forensic medicine revealed he was drowned, with diatoms (one-celled organisms found in water) in his lungs. These diatoms matched a nearby creek, pinpointing the murder location, and were also found in the suspect’s car, linking the victim, car, and crime scene.

The convicted murderer, Roland Kubler, was featured in the *Forensic Files* episode “Micro-clues” (December 18, 1997), which examined his actions.

Note the Bicycle in this Case: It Acts As a Trail to Follow

Kubler claimed he spotted Dario’s bicycle near the road, signaling a young boy nearby. This triggered his actions, leading to Dario’s murder. He didn’t actively seek bicycles but stumbled upon one during other activities. This is notable because other missing children cases, where only bicycles are found, may follow a similar pattern. A visible bicycle could act as a trigger for a predator in a secluded area.

Is Roland Kubler Now Dead?

A Reddit discussion suggested Roland Kubler is deceased, but this lacks verification due to the informal nature of community forums. The Serial Killer Database Wiki lists him under ‘Dead Serial Killers,’ but without confirmed details from Swiss sources, his status remains unverified.

Janice Pockett Left Her Bicycle Visible Before Disappearing

Janice Pockett, missing from Tolland, Connecticut since July 26, 1973, rode her green banana-seat bicycle to a wooded area to retrieve a butterfly. Her bike was found near a road, but she vanished. This mirrors Dario’s case, suggesting a predator may have noticed her bike, prompting an investigation of the area.

Vicki Lynn Hoskinson Disappearance: A Child’s Bicycle is a Clue Again

In another case, Vicki Lynn Hoskinson (*Forensic Files* Season 3, Episode 11, “Speck of Evidence”) left a bicycle behind, as noted in a recent article. A child’s bicycle may act as an ‘advertisement’ to a predator, suggesting a young person nearby. In non-family abductions, items like bicycles, scooters, or skateboards could be key clues, indicating a serial predator noticed them.

This pattern suggests victims were pursued rather than randomly encountered. For more related mysteries, see: Women With Car Troubles Go Missing | Missing Person Phenomenon -- Bloodhounds Tracking Ends at Roadside

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