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The National Park Service in the United States works tirelessly to protect untouched wilderness. The Grand Canyon, for example, is celebrated as one of the greatest Modern Natural Wonders of the World. With majestic waterfalls, powerful geysers, rushing rivers, tranquil lakes, abundant wildlife, and the serene calm of nature, these parks attract visitors from around the globe. However, beneath this natural beauty, there lies an undeniable danger.
Obvious risks such as swift rivers and waterfalls that can lead to drownings, steep cliffs that result in fatal falls, and vast, rugged trails that can easily disorient and leave hikers stranded in perilous terrain are inherent. While most people are found, there are some cases where only remains are discovered, and in others, no trace is ever found. Currently, the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch lists 24 unresolved disappearances. Here are some of their stories.
10. Morgan Heimer
The difficult and sometimes treacherous terrain of National Parks is often linked to disappearances and fatalities. Many visitors come to these parks without sufficient preparation or experience. However, this was not the case for Morgan Heimer, who was a seasoned employee of Tour West, a rafting company on the Colorado River.
Heimer was known as an exceptional swimmer and an experienced trekker, a strong and fit 22-year-old. On the sixth day of an eight-day rafting trip, Heimer was the last to return to the group after a swim. The lead guide recalled walking away from a cliff to converse with a member of the group. When he returned, Heimer had vanished.
The guide recalled that Heimer had mentioned wanting to take a break, so there was no immediate concern. Everyone was confident in his abilities, as he was wearing a life jacket and knew the terrain well. However, when he failed to return for dinner, authorities were contacted, and a six-day search began. Heimer’s disappearance occurred on June 2, 2015, and he has not been seen since.
9. Drake Kramer
Another seasoned adventurer, 21-year-old David Kramer, was passionate about the Grand Canyon. His love for the outdoors and exploration led him to pursue a Geology degree at the University of Texas. His choice to visit the Grand Canyon wouldn’t have raised any concerns among his family and friends, but the circumstances surrounding this trip were unexpected.
Without prior notice, Kramer decided to leave for California and then head to the Grand Canyon. He arrived at the Bright Angel Lodge in Arizona on February 1st. Although Kramer had visited the area before, traveling alone was unusual for him. His parents had seen him just a few days earlier on January 29th, and he had been in high spirits, even attending a movie together. What was more unsettling was a message Kramer sent to his mother, seemingly explaining his journey. He told her that he “needed to be back with Mother Earth and set his soul free.”
Due to this message, authorities considered suicide as a likely cause when David left his car at the lodge and ventured alone along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. His family, however, interpreted the message with hope, seeing it as David's need for solitude and reflection in nature. The South Rim's terrain is diverse and challenging, making it difficult to navigate, but it's highly unusual for someone to disappear without a trace. Despite extensive efforts, no sign of Kramer or any remains have ever been found.
8. Ruthanne Ruppert
Ruthanne Ruppert traveled from Florida to Yosemite National Park in August 2000, a trip that wasn’t out of the ordinary for her. An experienced climber, Ruppert had a remarkable feat to her name—climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with a frozen foot! While the world worried about Y2K, Ruppert spent the New Year at Argentine Peak in Colorado, continuing her love for adventure.
For someone of Ruppert's experience, a trip to Yosemite should have been effortless. She had planned to join a backpacking group on a 30-mile trek across the park. However, after waking up with an eye infection that prevented her from joining the group, she sought medical attention and missed the journey. Despite the setback, Ruppert continued her trip by renting a tent cabin in Curry Village and went shopping. Afterward, she seemingly disappeared without a trace.
Ruppert’s supplies were left behind, something no experienced hiker would do. Her family firmly believes she would never have abandoned them, nor would she have taken her own life. Missing the trip was the greatest frustration in her life, but it’s not something she would go to extreme lengths over. After a search and rescue operation, no evidence of Ruppert was found.
Strangely, eight years after Ruthanne’s disappearance, her backpack was discovered in Fireplace Creek, wedged in a drainage area. Fireplace Creek is located nearly eight miles away from Curry Village. The circumstances surrounding how her backpack ended up there, along with her whereabouts, remain an unsolved mystery.
7. Stacy Ann Arras
At just 14 years old, Stacy Ann Arras joined a guided tour of Yosemite National Park. Her father and six other individuals were also part of the group, all traveling on mules. The group stayed at various campsites, all located within a couple of miles of one another. They settled at the furthest camp, Sunrise High Sierra Camp. After settling in, Stacy decided to visit a nearby lake to take pictures and asked her father to accompany her. He chose to stay behind and rest, so an elderly man from the group, Gerald Stuart, agreed to join her.
Stuart, 77 years old, stopped to rest during their journey. The group saw Stacy and Stuart along the path, downhill from the cabins. They noticed Stuart sitting on a rock while Stacy continued walking. Shortly afterward, Stuart returned to the cabins by himself. He asked fellow campers coming from the direction of the lake if they had seen Stacy, but no one had. Once it became clear that Stacy was neither on the trail nor at the lake, the group began searching for her.
The following day, a large-scale search operation commenced, the most extensive effort seen in these cases. It involved three helicopters, two search dog teams, and nearly one hundred volunteers combing the park. Despite this massive response, the only trace ever found of Stacy was her camera lens cap. If she had been harmed, the person responsible took extraordinary care, as no blood or signs of struggle were ever discovered.
It seems improbable that a 14-year-old, deep in the mountains, would simply wander off and never be seen again. If she had been injured on the trail, surely one of the many people in the area at the time, or even within the search teams, would have found her or something belonging to her. Another mystery in Yosemite National Park.
6. George Penca
As demonstrated with Stacy Ann, safety is not always guaranteed even in groups. George Penca, an avid churchgoer, visited Yosemite National Park with 80 other members of his congregation. Although he wasn’t an experienced hiker, he was with a well-traveled group, including guides, in what should have been a safe and enjoyable adventure.
At some point, however, Penca became separated from his group. Some reports say he wasn’t feeling well and chose to head back, while others mention the group splitting into two, which led to Penca being lost in the confusion. The last sighting of Penca was at 2:40 in the afternoon. By the time the group expected him to return to their campsite, he was officially reported missing at 9:00 that evening.
The group was hiking Upper Yosemite Falls, a strenuous and difficult trail according to the Park's ratings. This trail is also known for being crowded, yet no one outside the church group recalls seeing Penca. He was carrying a bag with water and a bit of food, but neither the bag nor its contents were ever found. No trace of his clothing, blood, or remains was discovered. In a heavily trafficked area, visible to the town of Yosemite itself, on a clear day, surrounded by his trusted church group, George Penca vanished without a trace in Yosemite National Park.
5. Thelma Pauline 'Polly' Melton
Polly Melton wasn’t the type of person you would expect to be an enthusiastic hiker. Although she was out of shape and a heavy smoker, she had a deep love for the mountains, hiked frequently, and spent her summers at the base of the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. She had spent many years visiting this area and was well known within the local mountain community, even volunteering almost every day at a senior home.
In September of 1981, Melton set off on a trail labeled 'Easy' with two friends. It should have been a simple walk for an experienced hiker like Melton. According to the two women she was with, she quickly sped ahead of them. The distance wasn’t far, but she went over a knoll and was soon out of sight. When the two women caught up over the hill, Polly had completely disappeared. They heard no sounds that indicated distress and saw no signs of a struggle. They continued to the campsite, but still, there was no sign of Polly.
Melton had no personal items with her, not even a change of clothes or her purse. She was on medication for high blood pressure and nausea, but these were also left behind. There was no trace of her until more than a year later when a check in her name was cashed in Alabama. However, authorities were unable to confirm with certainty that it was her signature on the check.
A popular theory suggests that Melton may have decided to leave voluntarily that day. Her husband had fallen ill, her mother had recently passed, and there were rumors she may have been involved in an affair. The day before her disappearance, she was volunteering at the senior home as usual, but for the first time in the four years she had worked there, she asked to use the phone.
Did Melton meet her lover in the woods, disappear without any personal belongings or identification, and leave behind the mountains she loved so much, along with her husband and friends? For a woman known to smoke two packs of Pall Malls a day and described as 'too large to be kidnapped,' she must have moved surprisingly quickly that day. Although she would now be in her 90s, with no evidence suggesting otherwise, the National Park Service keeps her missing person case open year after year.
4. Michael Ficery
Michael Ficery was always someone who enjoyed living off the grid. From his youth into adulthood, he embraced surfing, cycling, and especially hiking. His family often commented on his exceptional memory, which would have helped him navigate the vast network of trails in Yosemite National Park. Despite being an experienced adventurer, Ficery chose to ignore the National Park Service’s recommendation to avoid hiking alone, and on the morning of June 15th, 2005, he set off on a solo hiking trip.
Ficery planned to backpack alone in one of the less-traveled areas of Yosemite, the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, with the goal of reaching Lake Vernon. At some point, however, he altered his plans and opted to take the Pacific Crest Trail toward TilTill Mountain. This part of the Pacific Crest Trail is not as steep as other sections of Yosemite, but the terrain is still rocky, presenting risks of injury or delays.
Ficery was no stranger to challenging terrain. He had previously injured his ankle at Yellowstone and had to crawl his way out of the wilderness. So, when he didn’t return from his hike as planned, after his permit expired and his family expected him home, they feared the worst. The search for Ficery became extensive, with the United States Marines joining the effort. Unlike some other cases, they found something that belonged to Ficery: his bag. Inside were his map, water, and camera. This discovery only heightened the concern of his friends and family, who knew that Ficery would never abandon his bag during a hike.
Sadly, in the 16 years since Ficery disappeared, there has been no sign of him. Unlike many others on this list, he had not gone through any recent personal losses or exhibited behavior suggesting he was a risk to himself. Six years after his disappearance, his sister joined a company called Pack, which assembles essential packs for explorers. She released a statement where she expressed concern that Ficery had been unprepared for his hike, made the risky decision to venture out alone, and warned about the dangers of altering your hiking route, as it complicates the work of search and rescue teams. Still, if he had been injured or passed away, why has there been no trace of him?
3. Teresa 'Trenny' Gibson
On October 8, 1976, Teresa 'Trenny' Gibson, a sixteen-year-old high school student, departed from Knoxville with her classmates and teachers for a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The plan was to visit Clingman’s Dome, where visitors can enjoy breathtaking mountain views from a 45-foot tall observation tower. Gibson seemed to be having a good time, walking alongside her friends.
While hiking on one of the trails, she was accompanied by two other girls who decided to take a brief rest. Gibson continued on a little ahead, but the trail was quite busy that day, with many groups of hikers around. The consensus among the group was simple: one moment she was with them, and the next, she had vanished.
The trail they were on at the time of her disappearance was quite steep, with significant drop-offs on one side. Gibson’s group alone consisted of 40 students and teachers. If she had fallen, it would have been in total silence, with no one hearing her. Likewise, if someone had taken her, they would have had to be extraordinarily stealthy, quick, or even invisible, as no one saw anything unusual.
If Gibson had truly decided to run away, she did so without any identification or the savings she had been carefully saving up. The search efforts were hindered by heavy rain and fog on the night she was reported missing. A large group of volunteers came to the park to aid in the search, and several dog units were brought in to track her scent. One dog found a trail that led beyond Clingman’s Dome, approximately a mile and a half further than where she was last seen near Newfound Gap. However, the trail went cold there, and like so many other cases, Gibson disappeared without a trace, just as the National Park Service’s cold cases often do.
2. Paul Braxton Fugate
Park Rangers are typically the go-to individuals in the National Park Service for any emergencies or missing persons. Paul Braxton Fugate, a Park Ranger at Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona, was well-versed in this role. So, it came as a shock when Fugate himself went missing from the park. He had completed his shift at the visitor center around 2:00 pm and went out for a hike, still dressed in his uniform, to inspect a trail. He mentioned to a coworker that they could begin closing duties without him if he didn’t return by 4:30. That was the last time anyone saw or heard from him.
His disappearance became apparent when he failed to return to close the park. As the only permanent staff member at the park, he would not have left the other seasonal employee to handle the responsibilities alone. Tragically, Fugate would have been the ideal person to lead a search and rescue effort at the park, but the Cochise County Sheriff's Department and the National Park Service had to proceed without him.
Fugate’s sudden disappearance left everyone at a loss. The search for him continued, but it was clear that without him, the effort was severely hindered.
Chiricahua presents additional challenges, with its vast 17 square miles of canyons, rugged terrain, and untamed wilderness. Despite a thorough search effort, rescuers found no trace of Park Ranger Paul Braxton Fugate. After the search proved fruitless, a reward of up to $60,000 was offered for any information leading to Fugate's whereabouts. This mysterious disappearance occurred in January 1980, and 41 years later, it remains unresolved. The National Park Service listed Fugate as missing, but they told his wife they believed he had abandoned his post, resulting in his termination.
As a result, Fugate’s wife, Dody, was left without the ability to claim his pension or survivor’s benefits. Worse, the National Park Service demanded that she repay the over $6,000 they had given her while Fugate was missing. Fortunately, in 1986, five years after Fugate’s disappearance, the case was re-evaluated, and Dody was granted access to his benefits. While this suggested that the NPS had concluded Fugate was no longer alive, the search for him continues to this day.
1. Floyd Roberts III
Floyd Roberts first visited the Grand Canyon in 1992, when his friend Ned Bryant invited him on the trip. Roberts enjoyed the experience so much that he became a regular hiking companion for Bryant. The two of them hiked together on several occasions over the years. In June 2016, they returned once again, this time bringing Bryant’s daughter along. Both Bryant and Roberts were experienced hikers, well-prepared for their adventure.
On June 17th, the trio began their hike along a trail but decided to split up: the Bryants took a route over the hill toward the trailhead, while Roberts chose to go around the hill. However, Roberts never showed up on the other side. After waiting to see if he was simply delayed, the Bryants began to grow worried and retraced Roberts’ path around the hill. Still, there was no sign of him. They then returned to their camp and hung brightly colored sleeping bags on nearby trees, hoping the visibility would help Roberts find them.
The Bryants had every reason to believe Roberts would be okay. A highly intelligent individual, Roberts had worked for NASA before transitioning to teaching game design and programming to high school students. Additionally, he was well-equipped for the hike. His bag contained enough food to last him a week, along with two gallons of water. He also carried a map marked by Bryant, detailing their planned trail. Despite these precautions, Roberts never returned to camp, and the Bryants had to hike to find cell service in order to report him missing.
A canine team was immediately deployed to search for Roberts, but they found no clues. After six days of searching, the officials had no choice but to scale back the operation. Kelly Tanks, the area they were exploring, is one of the more secluded regions of the park, and the extreme heat, with temperatures hitting around 92 degrees, made the search even more challenging.
Five years have passed, and countless hikers have traversed the area, yet there has been no trace of Roberts. This is a man who had been familiar with the area, equipped to survive, and with a good friend by his side. So, why did he decide to go off alone? What could have happened on the side of that hill that the others couldn’t have heard him if he had called for help? And, once again, how is it that not a single footprint, scrap of fabric, or trace of any kind has been found?
