In 2002, in the state of Georgia, a group of four surveyors were making their way down a highway next to some dense woodland. They were in a line formation with roughly fifty feet of space between each of them. Two men were having a conversation before a distraction briefly drew away the attention of one of them. Mere moments later, that same man turned and noticed that the other had vanished. When the other three men couldn’t find him, a formal search was called. The police found coins belonging to him lying on the ground, as well as one of his boots snagged on a barbed wire fence. After months of searching, his other boot was found less than a mile away. There were no visible signs of blood, struggling, or foul play.

This 20-year-old man’s name was Christopher Thompkins, and he is one of a vast array of people who have seemingly vanished into thin air in the North American wilderness. Many of these people go missing in national parks. Collectively, this gallery of missing persons has come to be synonymous with the term “Missing 411”—the people vanishing without a trace.

What is “Missing 411” really? As it turns out, it’s the brainchild of American former police officer David Paullides. For the past decade, he has been writing a series of books under the Missing 411 name. Originating from his work as a park ranger and his experiences in national parks, these books investigate a series of missing persons cases in and around the parks. What ties these cases together and differentiates them from other missing persons cases are their lack of clear causes for disappearance, strange or unexplainable pieces of evidence left behind after the fact, and in several instances, the fact that the people going missing are those with noteworthy experience in the wilderness itself. These facts lead some to suspect that there may be some unknown force or phenomenon leading to these disappearances.

Let’s look at another case. 19-year-old photographer Charles McCuller was visiting a friend in Oregon when he ventured to nearby Crater Lake National Park, where he suddenly vanished. Initial search efforts uncovered absolutely nothing. It took an entire year for some hikers to locate a backpack belonging to Charles. When the investigation finally found Charles’s remains, they came across something beyond explanation.

Charles’s unbuttoned jeans were laying on a log, with his socks poking out from the bottom. Inside the socks were Charles’s foot-bones. Mere feet away was the top of his skull. Nothing more of his body or belongings were ever found. Investigators found it difficult to explain how Charles had gotten to that location at all, given how much new snow there was at the time of his disappearance.

These mysterious cases don’t even have to include people who vanish forever. 2-year-old Keith Parkins vanished into the woods while playing outside, also in Oregon. After an entire night of searching, Keith was found—alive—about eight miles away (although some sources I’ve read describe it being even further). How is it that a 2-year-old child could travel so far in that time, let alone through a heavily wooded forest?

Looking at cases like these, it’s clear that many of them are difficult to justify. How could we explain young Keith’s strange relocation or what was found of Charles’s remains? Indeed, there are some similarities to the Dyatlov Pass case, which we looked at last time. Is there some unknown presence in the hidden-away parts of the North American wilderness? Do these places have some sort of extra-dimensional quality? Maybe, or maybe not.

David Paullides, who initially proposed the “Missing 411” theory, has received some criticism. Some of the cases he covers are said to have had the presentation of the evidence manipulated. It’s difficult to ignore that his published book series allows him to profit off of the mystery surrounding this idea. Paullides is also known for his fascination with Bigfoot (he founded the North America Bigfoot Search). To some, that could come off as a red flag. However, does targeting Paullides discredit these mysteries altogether?

In the end, it’s up to you what to think of this phenomenon. Recent years have seen the “Missing 411” idea explode in popularity, especially online. Like with the Dyatlov Pass incident, there is a surplus of sources which you can investigate to learn more. Additionally, if it so interests you, you could also investigate the Missing 411 series itself, which is made up of not only Paullides’s book series but also documentaries. If you like unexplainable mysteries, which you probably do if you’re reading this, then know that there’s a lot to look at for this topic.

— r 

Further reading:

As mentioned, you can look into the Missing 411 series itself by David Paullides if it appeals to you.

If you’re feeling critical and you want to zoom in hard on an individual case, you can search for them one-by-one; here’s a recent example covering Christopher Thompkins by Michelle Short (2023).

Alternatively, if you just want to absorb as many of these cases as possible, you’ll find plenty of articles like this one by People’s Tonight (2021).