The Missing 411 Cluster Geography

After a 6 book series exposing thousands of disappearances in America's parks and national forests along with 2 movies that he has produced, David Paulides is still moving forward with more case investigations. One would think that he had covered the mystery to the point of redundancy by now, but the staggering number of disappearances is appalling. Still, the Department of Interior and Bureau of Land Management resist divulging lists of those who have vanished thinking they were in the relative safety of America's great resource-state and national parks.

Shocking numbers

After years of research and even film making, David Paulides initially analyzed areas where there was a concentration of missing persons over a period of weeks, months, or years. Using a stringent filtering system such incidents as criminal acts, animal attacks, intentional disappearances, and exposure critieria that Paulides excludes from the 411 profile is passed over for truly strange missing person cases. At first, it appeared there were 27 cluster regions that statistical findings revealed. Most of these were located along the west coast in California, Washington State, and Oregon. Yet, now after several books and film projects David has expanded that number to 59 identifiable cluster regions based upon known repeated disappearances in close proximity to each other!

Where it is likely

According to David Paulides the largest number of cluster regions and missing persons cases originate from the west coast into the Pacific Northwest along the Cascade and Sierra mountain ranges spanning across the US to the eastern seaboard to the Appalachian trail. There is also an area in the Midwest from Idaho to Michigan and Montanna to parts of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Why have so many of these cases gone unsolved or remained largely undisturbed over years or even decades? Paulides points out that rural Sheriffs offices and police simply don't have the resources to pursue the details after a certain amount of time or as personnel retire or seek employment elsewhere leaving these disappearances to become cold cases.

Is the truth that terrible?

Once the 411 filtering has omitted those causes that do not fit the crtiteria of weird and inexplicable vanishings there are still a very disturbing number of disappearances remaining uninvestigated or allowed to collect dust in some detective's file. When Special Agents assigned to National Parks either refuse to share information with David Paulides or acknowledge a lack of integrity within the National Park system still the question must be asked. What is so untinkable or threatening that the unsuspecting tourists, hikers, and hunters must be kept unaware of the potential threat? Does it all boil down to simply revenue intake?

The victims

A small boy following his parents on a hike goes missing and is never found after extensive search efforts with tracking dogs and finally cadaver dogs refusing to follow the scent trail. Not even his remains ever turn up. A two year old child disappears down a trail while he is being watched by his grandparents. Weeks later his body is located 500 feet straight up a sheer uphill climb that even experienced rescue teams are challenged to reach! How does a 2 year old make an ascent even professional climbers are hard pressed to make? One child who disappeared without a trace could only be identified by a single tooth left on top of a log. Of any known nationality of those who have fallen victim it seems that people of German descent fall into the category of being swallowed up by the unknown more than any other genealogical group.

Locality of vanishings

According to David Paulides, the odd commonalities that seem to pop up often in the missing persons cases seem to involve boulder fields or granite such as in Yosemite where a record number of vanishings excede all other cluster regions. Water seems another conincidental factor where people who disappear are either located in water deceased, cause of death still unknown, or go missing in the vicinity of a river, lake, or creek. Often a bad weather storm hits the day after a reported missing person alerts local authorities whose actions are obstructed by the elements! Most investigators stress that the first 72 hours of a case are the most critical in solving a disappearance or even criminal incidents. Bad weather often wipes away that window of opportunity!

Lack of official support

In one case of a missing little boy whose remains were found even the local authorities can be a source of frustration. David recalls one case where a child's pants pulled inside out were found at the scene of a body recovery. When this was mentioned to the Sheriff he instructed the deputy to pull the pants back from inside out and then made a statement to the press that the child's fate had been due to predation by a cougar even though there was no sign of blood or tearing of the clothing. After consulting with forensics experts on animal attacks Paulides could not understand why the sheriff would mislead the public other than simply wanting to close the case! In another mysterious disappearance the body of a woman after being found partially nude though not attacked or raped was lying face down at the shore of a creek and pronounced dead by a medical examiner by cause of drowning even though there was no water in her lungs! It is easy to see what David Paulides is up against with the intentional obstruction of not only upper management of the national parks and forestry officials but even from local law enforcement and forensics experts!

Prevention?

Paulides advises all visitors going to spend time in National Parks and Forests to always carry a GPS beacon locator, a sidearm, water, rations, and to remain close to other people when exploring the wild. People can no longer trust that their safety is guaranteed by Park Rangers and wildlife management agencies. Not that these people do not have dedicated employees who do their best, but because there is simply too much land to cover and not enough personnal or resources to patrol wherever the public might set foot. David Paulides thinks that if everyone entering these areas for recreation would follow his guidelines 80% of the disappearances could be prevented or at the very least explained, yet there is a case of a missing man who did have a GPS locator beacon who was never seen again. Words to live by, "At your own risk."

Could the source of the disappearances be alien abduction, super natural, or even Sasquatch? David Paulides prefers to present simply the facts, which astonishing enough, and let others arrive at the conclusions.