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Missing 411: Eastern United States
"Missing 411-Eastern United States" is David Paulides' second book of a two part series about people who have disappeared in the wilds of North America. "Missing 411-Western U.S." was released March 1, 2012 and has garnered wide spread publicity and favorable reviews. The eastern version covers similar disappearances for the east, but also includes the master list of missing people from both books and a special list of children under 10 years who have been identified in both versions. Every story in each book is 100% factual.
The eastern version contains chapters identifying clusters of missing people from the eastern section of the United States but also includes one chapter on Ontario (Canada) hunters who have disappeared. The book also contains chapters on berry pickers, sheepherders and farmers that have vanished from throughout North America under unusual circumstances.
Both versions of Missing 411 identify portions of 28 clusters of missing people that have been documented throughout the U.S. and Canada. Sometimes these clusters are purely geographical while others identify a linkage based on age and sex of the victims, a very troubling and surprising find by researchers.
The eastern version contains chapters identifying clusters of missing people from the eastern section of the United States but also includes one chapter on Ontario (Canada) hunters who have disappeared. The book also contains chapters on berry pickers, sheepherders and farmers that have vanished from throughout North America under unusual circumstances.
Both versions of Missing 411 identify portions of 28 clusters of missing people that have been documented throughout the U.S. and Canada. Sometimes these clusters are purely geographical while others identify a linkage based on age and sex of the victims, a very troubling and surprising find by researchers.
342 pages, Paperback
First published March 6, 2012
53 people are currently reading
3943 people want to read
About the author
David Paulides
20 books530 followersWriter, researcher, and investigative journalist.
Paulides is mostly known for his writing on disappearances in national parks and Big Foot / Sasquatch.
Paulides is mostly known for his writing on disappearances in national parks and Big Foot / Sasquatch.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
November 3, 2017
This is the 2nd book in the series (and it's the 2nd book by virtue of being the 2nd half of the 1st book) and it answers some questions that have been bugging me after reading Missing 411: The Devil's in the Detail.
1. The 411 is the 411 people whose cases are presented in the 1st 2 books.
2. Paulides' hidden agenda, being not so hidden at the start, is Bigfoot. He started out in the fringe world of cryptozoology & ufology & their ilk as a Bigfoot researcher, so this isn't a SURPRISE, but it's nice to have it confirmed. He's pretending, even at the beginning, not to have a theory, but the inclusion of Roy Bilgrien, who was NEVER missing, but who WAS almost abducted by something his mother described alternately as a bear and a wolf, shows Paulides' hand very clearly.
So this review is mostly about the problems I have with Paulides, because otherwise it's just "here are a bunch of unexplained disappearances about which I have a theory I will not tell you but in true Socratic fashion will hit you over the head with ("Think about the reasons why this may be occurring" (122)) until you tell it to me." My chief problem is actually not Bigfoot; it's the shoddy sloppiness of Paulides' research. I will give one example, although there are plenty of others. In discussing the SAR (Search and Rescue) efforts after the disappearance of Dennis Martin in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (from a place I've definitely been near, if not actually to), Paulides says: "In one of the more surprising twists to the SAR, it was discovered that the park service closed Cades Cove Loop Road for three days, without explanation. . . . There is nothing in the documentation I received [after filing a FOIA] explaining why the cove was closed" (M411 150).
So, pursuing a different aspect of Dennis Martin's disappearance that Paulides deals with badly (more about that in a minute), I Googled the FBI agent assigned to observe, Jim Rike. That Google search brought up a document called the Dennis Martin Search Chronological Narrative, which is the National Park Service's report on the SAR effort. This document was requested & received by the Knoxville News-Sentinel in 1969, no FOIA needed, and on p. 11 it says: "The Cades Cove road was closed to keep the many curiosity seekers away from the Cades Cove heliport" (DMSCN 11). Now, if you are a conspiracy-minded person, you may choose not to believe this explanation, but it is patently untrue that no explanation was given.
This is unforgivably sloppy research. It's part and parcel of Paulides' fundamental problem, which is that he's not a researcher. He has no formal training and it's clear that he's not doing a good job of training himself. He makes errors like this one. He misses obvious cross-references, like "in the early 1930s there is another major increase of men and women missing, with the escalation staying elevated until today" (307), where GOSH I WONDER IF MAYBE THERE WAS SOME MAJOR SOCIAL DISASTER THAT BEFELL AMERICA IN 1929 THAT MIGHT EXPLAIN THIS INCREASE. He doesn't contextualize his cases at all, except in terms of each other. He tells us, with a kind of ghoulish satisfaction, that Jim Rike (the FBI agent I mentioned above) committed suicide, but offers no proof that his suicide was because of his work on cases involving missing children. There are other reasons a guy might be suicidal. (An article about Dennis Martin on Tales of the Weird says that Rike's reasons are unknown, and I feel like a ghoul myself so I'm not digging further.)
And it becomes important to remember that Paulides is skewing his data. He's only interested in MP cases that fit his (weird-ass) criteria. As an experiment, I checked West Virginia's MP in NamUs. Paulides has 5; NamUs lists 72. The kicker? Only one of Paulides' cases is in NamUs (Victor Shoemaker). One of the others is on Porchlight. The other three were found (2 alive, 1 dead)--but their disappearances fit Paulides' schema, so in they go. This is a pretty wild distortion in describing national trends of disappearances and means that you need to keep the salt shaker handy.
So why do I keep reading him? He does have an impressive collection of raw data and bizarre stories, and something in my back-brain just chews on this stuff like homemade caramels.
1. The 411 is the 411 people whose cases are presented in the 1st 2 books.
2. Paulides' hidden agenda, being not so hidden at the start, is Bigfoot. He started out in the fringe world of cryptozoology & ufology & their ilk as a Bigfoot researcher, so this isn't a SURPRISE, but it's nice to have it confirmed. He's pretending, even at the beginning, not to have a theory, but the inclusion of Roy Bilgrien, who was NEVER missing, but who WAS almost abducted by something his mother described alternately as a bear and a wolf, shows Paulides' hand very clearly.
So this review is mostly about the problems I have with Paulides, because otherwise it's just "here are a bunch of unexplained disappearances about which I have a theory I will not tell you but in true Socratic fashion will hit you over the head with ("Think about the reasons why this may be occurring" (122)) until you tell it to me." My chief problem is actually not Bigfoot; it's the shoddy sloppiness of Paulides' research. I will give one example, although there are plenty of others. In discussing the SAR (Search and Rescue) efforts after the disappearance of Dennis Martin in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (from a place I've definitely been near, if not actually to), Paulides says: "In one of the more surprising twists to the SAR, it was discovered that the park service closed Cades Cove Loop Road for three days, without explanation. . . . There is nothing in the documentation I received [after filing a FOIA] explaining why the cove was closed" (M411 150).
So, pursuing a different aspect of Dennis Martin's disappearance that Paulides deals with badly (more about that in a minute), I Googled the FBI agent assigned to observe, Jim Rike. That Google search brought up a document called the Dennis Martin Search Chronological Narrative, which is the National Park Service's report on the SAR effort. This document was requested & received by the Knoxville News-Sentinel in 1969, no FOIA needed, and on p. 11 it says: "The Cades Cove road was closed to keep the many curiosity seekers away from the Cades Cove heliport" (DMSCN 11). Now, if you are a conspiracy-minded person, you may choose not to believe this explanation, but it is patently untrue that no explanation was given.
This is unforgivably sloppy research. It's part and parcel of Paulides' fundamental problem, which is that he's not a researcher. He has no formal training and it's clear that he's not doing a good job of training himself. He makes errors like this one. He misses obvious cross-references, like "in the early 1930s there is another major increase of men and women missing, with the escalation staying elevated until today" (307), where GOSH I WONDER IF MAYBE THERE WAS SOME MAJOR SOCIAL DISASTER THAT BEFELL AMERICA IN 1929 THAT MIGHT EXPLAIN THIS INCREASE. He doesn't contextualize his cases at all, except in terms of each other. He tells us, with a kind of ghoulish satisfaction, that Jim Rike (the FBI agent I mentioned above) committed suicide, but offers no proof that his suicide was because of his work on cases involving missing children. There are other reasons a guy might be suicidal. (An article about Dennis Martin on Tales of the Weird says that Rike's reasons are unknown, and I feel like a ghoul myself so I'm not digging further.)
And it becomes important to remember that Paulides is skewing his data. He's only interested in MP cases that fit his (weird-ass) criteria. As an experiment, I checked West Virginia's MP in NamUs. Paulides has 5; NamUs lists 72. The kicker? Only one of Paulides' cases is in NamUs (Victor Shoemaker). One of the others is on Porchlight. The other three were found (2 alive, 1 dead)--but their disappearances fit Paulides' schema, so in they go. This is a pretty wild distortion in describing national trends of disappearances and means that you need to keep the salt shaker handy.
So why do I keep reading him? He does have an impressive collection of raw data and bizarre stories, and something in my back-brain just chews on this stuff like homemade caramels.
March 4, 2013
This is the first book that I've read in less than a day in quite some time. Compelling doesn't begin to describe it. The author makes an intriguing, but unspoken, case for a solution to the disappearances. Some readers may be disappointed because the book raises more questions than it answers. It's fascinating reading for supernatural/paranormal armchair researchers like me who hunger for fresh info and perspectives on anomalous topics. Can't wait to begin the western edition!
March 21, 2016
Missing 411 Eastern
Before you read my review, I will say that I have not read this book because it's not worth the price of more than $50. I have listened to several of his interviews.
The author has written other books on Bigfoot. The definition of Bigfoot is: An imaginary animal that walks like a human, but is bigger than a human, known only by its large footprints and rare reports of sightings in the northwest US; sasquatch.
The author, although compelling in his interviews, has not taken part in an actual wilderness search & rescue operation. I can pick this up in his interviews. Searching an area and not finding anything and then finding some after searching the same area is common. You have to account for human error, lighting conditions, effective sweep widths, experience, etc. I am a graduate of the National Search & Rescue School & Lost Person Behavior School and these factors are taken into account. Missing people undressing is not unusual either. It is called Paradoxical Undressing. There very well could be abductions in the cases but he shouldn't imply that Bigfoot got them. He has cherry picked these cases and made it appear as if these are the typical cases. They are not.
Before you read my review, I will say that I have not read this book because it's not worth the price of more than $50. I have listened to several of his interviews.
The author has written other books on Bigfoot. The definition of Bigfoot is: An imaginary animal that walks like a human, but is bigger than a human, known only by its large footprints and rare reports of sightings in the northwest US; sasquatch.
The author, although compelling in his interviews, has not taken part in an actual wilderness search & rescue operation. I can pick this up in his interviews. Searching an area and not finding anything and then finding some after searching the same area is common. You have to account for human error, lighting conditions, effective sweep widths, experience, etc. I am a graduate of the National Search & Rescue School & Lost Person Behavior School and these factors are taken into account. Missing people undressing is not unusual either. It is called Paradoxical Undressing. There very well could be abductions in the cases but he shouldn't imply that Bigfoot got them. He has cherry picked these cases and made it appear as if these are the typical cases. They are not.
February 15, 2013
If you love trying to solve mysteries, these cases will boggle your mind. People have been mysteriously disappearing from the forests of North America starting in the 1800s and they continue to go missing today. The cases compiled in this book are not your usual missing persons cases. They are people missing under unusual circumstances.
At the end of the book, the author lists and groups the data according to age, gender, location, date, season, whether FBI were involved, similarities between cases, etc. and you are encouraged to contact the author if you have any leads or useful information.
At the end of the book, the author lists and groups the data according to age, gender, location, date, season, whether FBI were involved, similarities between cases, etc. and you are encouraged to contact the author if you have any leads or useful information.
September 11, 2012
Unbelievable!! Makes you wary to go in the woods. Given the authors experience, it is informative to read the analysis of each of these cases.
September 18, 2017
Never mind the content, for the moment, let's first talk about the presentation.
Mr. Paulides, get thee to an editor!
I looked for an editor credit and it was also "Missing," and there was much that made me want to volunteer my own humble services, though I am myself not an editor.
So there were challenges for me that should not have been there, IMO, and there was much that could have been improved, like footnotes, and cross-referencing. But all grammatical challenges should have been removed especially when one is presenting unusual, fringe, or controversial ideas.
As for the content itself, I had so many questions, ... so many questions, ...
We are given little mysteries, and there is never enough data for reasonable explanations, ... and yet our human minds are always seeking closure, answers, someplace to rest.
I saw my own mind frequently leap towards "paranormal" explanations.
But I only ever had the information that Mr. Paulides has given us, and yes it is the nature of a mystery that data is missing, but we can only guess at whatever information filtering processes were at work. But he is an experienced investigator, so we have to trust him, ...
So, the premise is there are quite a large number of people who are disappearing mostly from rural areas in or very near national parks in North America and Canada. The missing that fit Paulides criteria are either never seen again, or are found dead under mysterious circumstances, or they are found and are unable to explain what happened to them.
Looking at thousands of cases, David Paulides started to see many recurring themes and patterns to these stories.
And despite large numbers of folks going missing in parks, the National Park Service claims to have no records of this phenomenon.
But to his credit, and our frustration, Mr. Paulides does not offer any explanations. Instead, he peppers his "just-the-facts"style of writing with tantalizing comments, as readers grope for answers.
I was left wanting more, ...
which could have been the intention.
...
Mr. Paulides, get thee to an editor!
I looked for an editor credit and it was also "Missing," and there was much that made me want to volunteer my own humble services, though I am myself not an editor.
So there were challenges for me that should not have been there, IMO, and there was much that could have been improved, like footnotes, and cross-referencing. But all grammatical challenges should have been removed especially when one is presenting unusual, fringe, or controversial ideas.
As for the content itself, I had so many questions, ... so many questions, ...
We are given little mysteries, and there is never enough data for reasonable explanations, ... and yet our human minds are always seeking closure, answers, someplace to rest.
I saw my own mind frequently leap towards "paranormal" explanations.
But I only ever had the information that Mr. Paulides has given us, and yes it is the nature of a mystery that data is missing, but we can only guess at whatever information filtering processes were at work. But he is an experienced investigator, so we have to trust him, ...
So, the premise is there are quite a large number of people who are disappearing mostly from rural areas in or very near national parks in North America and Canada. The missing that fit Paulides criteria are either never seen again, or are found dead under mysterious circumstances, or they are found and are unable to explain what happened to them.
Looking at thousands of cases, David Paulides started to see many recurring themes and patterns to these stories.
And despite large numbers of folks going missing in parks, the National Park Service claims to have no records of this phenomenon.
But to his credit, and our frustration, Mr. Paulides does not offer any explanations. Instead, he peppers his "just-the-facts"style of writing with tantalizing comments, as readers grope for answers.
I was left wanting more, ...
which could have been the intention.
...
June 7, 2014
David Paulides continues to present strange and concerning true stories of missing people in the U.S. and Canada. Like the first book, I was hooked on this book and quickly read through it (looking forward to reading the next section with a sense of fascination and dread at the same time). One critique that I do have is that I am glad that I read the first (Western) book first as the author goes into some common trends and possible explanations regarding some of the case studies that he does not elaborate on in this book. This would only be a potential issue if the first book was not read prior to this one.
Read
November 11, 2015I purchased this book from North American Bigfoot Search, Amazon sells it from 103 - $70 for the Western book. Therefore I wondered how could anybody review this book at the outrageous price people wanted to sell it for.
The author uses conventional resources to research each individua.l THE New York Times and local Community papers provide information into the details of each missing person.
The author reviews information about berry pickers farmers and sheep herders. After each review he states what is obvious and then goes into the discrepancies of each case. So far the book is well written and very logical
The author uses conventional resources to research each individua.l THE New York Times and local Community papers provide information into the details of each missing person.
The author reviews information about berry pickers farmers and sheep herders. After each review he states what is obvious and then goes into the discrepancies of each case. So far the book is well written and very logical
July 16, 2014
Just like the West Coast version, these books by Paulides are thoroughly engaging and seriously, I read both in a little more than 12 hours each (the other is the West Coast). These are the tales that we don't hear much about and seem to quickly be removed from the media. The tales of accurate records and failure of the FOIA inquiries makes the reader wonder just what the National Parks Service and others are really hiding.
Makes you think twice about skirting out on your own, or even with a buddy or small group, in our wilderness. Some of just down right chilling.
Makes you think twice about skirting out on your own, or even with a buddy or small group, in our wilderness. Some of just down right chilling.
January 10, 2019
This is some next level X-Files sh...stuff right here. But this isn't fiction- this is real. People going missing in the wilderness under bizarre circumstances and if they are found, those circumstances are equally puzzling. My library only has this one book of the series in its system so I have begged them to get all the other installments because: "The truth is out there." "Trust no one."
June 26, 2024
In "411: Eastern United States," David Paulides delves into the unsettling phenomenon of unexplained disappearances within America's national parks and rural areas. Paulides, a former law enforcement officer, documents numerous cases where individuals, often experienced outdoors enthusiasts, vanish without a trace under mysterious circumstances.
This book presents numerous cases of disappearances, but most are summarized in just a paragraph or a page each. The relentless stream of brief descriptions over hundreds of pages eventually became overwhelming for me and I sat the book down for almost 10 years (reading the first half in 2015). It would be better, in my opinion, if the author had focused on fewer cases, providing in-depth investigations and more detailed stories. This approach could help readers connect more with the stories. Currently, it feels more like a database or spreadsheet than a book, if that makes sense. There are also many spelling and punctuation errors found throughout the book that can be distracting.
This may have been the author’s intent, however, as the data is collected in a systematic way with cases only being allowed to be included in the book if they met certain criteria that he has chosen. Trying to find patterns to help explain why these disappearances occur is an admirable pursuit, but sometimes it got just odd with the author, in one example, placing emphasis on two missing women who both had names that started with an ‘A’ and had three letters, Amy and Ann.
Some of the author’s criteria, like geographic clustering, make sense, while others that they deem highly unusual seem to have rational explanations. For instance, people found naked or with clothes missing in cold temperatures can be explained by Paradoxical Undressing. This phenomenon occurs during hypothermia when a sudden surge of blood and heat to the extremities makes a person feel overheated and remove their clothes.
Another critique I have about this book is author Paulides’ aversion to outright saying what he believes is happening with these cases. And that is because it is very obvious that he believes that Bigfoot is at least a large part of the phenomenon. It is possible he thought saying this would lessen his credibility and that is why he chose to avoid it, but it is obvious given his history (he wrote two books on the subject of Bigfoot prior to this book and is the Director of a bigfoot group), and the cases he chose, also often alluding to “wild men” or people being carried off, etc.
His research has also come under fire from multiple different places. Data scientist Kyle Polich wrote an article called “Missing 411” in which he concluded that the cases found within this book are not “outside the frequency that one would expect, or that there is anything unexplainable that I was able to identify.” Many users on Reddit and other places have exposed some of his reports as being skewed, leaving out data…it all just doesn’t leave the best impression.
There's interesting parts of this book, no doubt. And it's possible this book series gets better and more focused as it goes on. And the pursuit of trying to figure out why people having disappeared in the past and to try and prevent it from happening is an admirable pursuit so I don't want to dissuade people from reading it.
This book presents numerous cases of disappearances, but most are summarized in just a paragraph or a page each. The relentless stream of brief descriptions over hundreds of pages eventually became overwhelming for me and I sat the book down for almost 10 years (reading the first half in 2015). It would be better, in my opinion, if the author had focused on fewer cases, providing in-depth investigations and more detailed stories. This approach could help readers connect more with the stories. Currently, it feels more like a database or spreadsheet than a book, if that makes sense. There are also many spelling and punctuation errors found throughout the book that can be distracting.
This may have been the author’s intent, however, as the data is collected in a systematic way with cases only being allowed to be included in the book if they met certain criteria that he has chosen. Trying to find patterns to help explain why these disappearances occur is an admirable pursuit, but sometimes it got just odd with the author, in one example, placing emphasis on two missing women who both had names that started with an ‘A’ and had three letters, Amy and Ann.
Some of the author’s criteria, like geographic clustering, make sense, while others that they deem highly unusual seem to have rational explanations. For instance, people found naked or with clothes missing in cold temperatures can be explained by Paradoxical Undressing. This phenomenon occurs during hypothermia when a sudden surge of blood and heat to the extremities makes a person feel overheated and remove their clothes.
Another critique I have about this book is author Paulides’ aversion to outright saying what he believes is happening with these cases. And that is because it is very obvious that he believes that Bigfoot is at least a large part of the phenomenon. It is possible he thought saying this would lessen his credibility and that is why he chose to avoid it, but it is obvious given his history (he wrote two books on the subject of Bigfoot prior to this book and is the Director of a bigfoot group), and the cases he chose, also often alluding to “wild men” or people being carried off, etc.
His research has also come under fire from multiple different places. Data scientist Kyle Polich wrote an article called “Missing 411” in which he concluded that the cases found within this book are not “outside the frequency that one would expect, or that there is anything unexplainable that I was able to identify.” Many users on Reddit and other places have exposed some of his reports as being skewed, leaving out data…it all just doesn’t leave the best impression.
There's interesting parts of this book, no doubt. And it's possible this book series gets better and more focused as it goes on. And the pursuit of trying to figure out why people having disappeared in the past and to try and prevent it from happening is an admirable pursuit so I don't want to dissuade people from reading it.
July 21, 2019
This is the second book I have read and the cases just get stranger. There may be some cases that could be down to people losing their way, or getting lost while out hunting, hiking etc but more than a few of these cases just do not make sense to me. I think the author has done an awful lot of research and is trying to get a database set up where missing people in National Parks will have their details stored. I find it quite surprising that this is not done (unless the local police perhaps keep a record). Anyway, the author is trying to raise the profile of these cases and I cannot fault him for that. It is so sad for those left behind, who are left with more questions than answers as to what happened to their loved ones and the children's cases are really frightening. Not a book for people who are off a sensitive disposition. I have actually chosen a completely different type of book for my next read, just to get my mind off this subject for a while. It was just really sad reading many of the cases. I do hope the author continues his work. Someone needs to remember the missing and it should not just be the family or friends. It is a terrible thing when no one cares.
September 26, 2013
just as engrossing and haunting as the previous Western Edition, impossible to stop reading cant wait to get the third in the series!! Thank you for writing these David Pauldies!!
February 1, 2014
No doubt, disappearances happen, but not at the alarming rate and strange patterns you will read about once you go through this book. Read it!
April 13, 2016
order from http://www.canammissing.com/
(also on Amazon, but price-gouging very bad there on these books)
A person is there one moment, but gone the next. Untrackable by any means we currently have. Later found dead, or sometimes in a groggy state, unable to reveal what happened to them. It's pretty hard to ignore what this nonfictional book has to say; having once been made aware of these true missing-person accounts by lawman-turned-investigative-journalist David Paulides, you want to see the whole phenomenom of people going missing with strange circumstances surrounding their disappearance conclude. But it's not; there are new cases that fit the author's profile almost daily in the news. I work in publishing, so I will say this series sometimes lacks literary polish, editing finesse or visual punch; but I must stress that these quickly lose meaning against the expert vetting, the complex, SHOCKING details, and the enigmatic profile developed towards the STRANGE DISAPPEARANCES and DEATHS in these books... and how they reach into your mind and won't let go. Something is going on here, and we have no idea how to stop it.
Many have taken place in our national parks and forests. Though some park employees tried to help the searches, you’ll come to see the authorities of the National Park Service as unconcerned, free of ethics and rather criminally negligent towards folks gone missing or found dead in their parks, which is not the image they'd like to project as they plan various “100th anniversary” events and invite families to come traipse through their wildernesses. Human scale is a character here: what are people, especially children, capable of physically doing in certain amounts of time? What don’t we know about their disappearance, and why aren’t there clues? Why do the parks not advertise the persons gone missing within their borders? Also, the loss and pain of the families left behind is not forgotten by this former police detective, and many interviews with heartbroken loved ones are faithfully included.
Oddities abound. All cases are real, not composites or “re-imaginings,” and are located in places most of us have either been already or have dreamed of going. Many will leave you emotionally stunned; you think, “I've done that,” or “I've been there!” It never escapes you for a minute that you, or your loved ones, could also have been a page in this book. It's brutal going, yet mesmerizing, because each case starts out with absolutely ordinary past-times – most of us have hiked, camped, hunted, played outside or picked berries – yet all finish with a situation, very often death, that cannot be explained by any of the persons involved. I can't really use the word “enjoyed” about the long, late hours I spent, eyeballs watery and twitching, reading this book, and the others in the series. But I did, and still do, feel a profound sense of involvement and mental challenge at mulling the details, and a driving NEED to figure out HOW these things could have happened, and WHAT could be the reasons.
At first, the “answers” come the way our minds are trained and ready to answer (wild animals - weather conditions - psycho killers - UFOs - Bigfoot - demons- etc - fill in your own as you go), but keep with the series and you will see that NO ONE HAS THE ACTUAL ANSWERS to these baffling occurrences to ordinary people just like you and me. I don't think I will EVER forget these books.
***NOTE: This book, and the others in the series, are BEST PURCHASED FROM THE WEBSITE mentioned above.***
(also on Amazon, but price-gouging very bad there on these books)
A person is there one moment, but gone the next. Untrackable by any means we currently have. Later found dead, or sometimes in a groggy state, unable to reveal what happened to them. It's pretty hard to ignore what this nonfictional book has to say; having once been made aware of these true missing-person accounts by lawman-turned-investigative-journalist David Paulides, you want to see the whole phenomenom of people going missing with strange circumstances surrounding their disappearance conclude. But it's not; there are new cases that fit the author's profile almost daily in the news. I work in publishing, so I will say this series sometimes lacks literary polish, editing finesse or visual punch; but I must stress that these quickly lose meaning against the expert vetting, the complex, SHOCKING details, and the enigmatic profile developed towards the STRANGE DISAPPEARANCES and DEATHS in these books... and how they reach into your mind and won't let go. Something is going on here, and we have no idea how to stop it.
Many have taken place in our national parks and forests. Though some park employees tried to help the searches, you’ll come to see the authorities of the National Park Service as unconcerned, free of ethics and rather criminally negligent towards folks gone missing or found dead in their parks, which is not the image they'd like to project as they plan various “100th anniversary” events and invite families to come traipse through their wildernesses. Human scale is a character here: what are people, especially children, capable of physically doing in certain amounts of time? What don’t we know about their disappearance, and why aren’t there clues? Why do the parks not advertise the persons gone missing within their borders? Also, the loss and pain of the families left behind is not forgotten by this former police detective, and many interviews with heartbroken loved ones are faithfully included.
Oddities abound. All cases are real, not composites or “re-imaginings,” and are located in places most of us have either been already or have dreamed of going. Many will leave you emotionally stunned; you think, “I've done that,” or “I've been there!” It never escapes you for a minute that you, or your loved ones, could also have been a page in this book. It's brutal going, yet mesmerizing, because each case starts out with absolutely ordinary past-times – most of us have hiked, camped, hunted, played outside or picked berries – yet all finish with a situation, very often death, that cannot be explained by any of the persons involved. I can't really use the word “enjoyed” about the long, late hours I spent, eyeballs watery and twitching, reading this book, and the others in the series. But I did, and still do, feel a profound sense of involvement and mental challenge at mulling the details, and a driving NEED to figure out HOW these things could have happened, and WHAT could be the reasons.
At first, the “answers” come the way our minds are trained and ready to answer (wild animals - weather conditions - psycho killers - UFOs - Bigfoot - demons- etc - fill in your own as you go), but keep with the series and you will see that NO ONE HAS THE ACTUAL ANSWERS to these baffling occurrences to ordinary people just like you and me. I don't think I will EVER forget these books.
***NOTE: This book, and the others in the series, are BEST PURCHASED FROM THE WEBSITE mentioned above.***
June 10, 2018
Oh boy. So, not quite worthy of three stars, but deserving of more than two.
What can I say that other reviewers have not?
I agree that the research is sloppy. Paul definitely needs to invest in an editor or at least run a spell check. A little consistency in the writing and presentation of data would be nice as well.
There were several points he kept bringing up that made me cringe and not want to take him seriously. For example: he kept repeating that it was weird or inexplicable that the missing kept removing all of parts of their clothes, especially on cold nights. This is actually a common reaction from victims of hypothermia.
He also kept drawing similarities between disappearances of people that were decades apart... and coming up with patterns that I just wasn’t seeing/were not really patterns.
If you look past the conspiracy theory case summaries, this was a pretty interesting read. There were several cases that made me shiver a bit (like the girl who said she was perused for three weeks by a group of men or the official who said he knew of wild men living in the mountains/woods).
I don’t think it was anywhere near worth the price plus shipping from his shop, and certainly not worth the second hand scalper prices you see on eBay and Amazon. If I can find some of these at a library or for a reasonable second hand price, I’ll probably read more.
What can I say that other reviewers have not?
I agree that the research is sloppy. Paul definitely needs to invest in an editor or at least run a spell check. A little consistency in the writing and presentation of data would be nice as well.
There were several points he kept bringing up that made me cringe and not want to take him seriously. For example: he kept repeating that it was weird or inexplicable that the missing kept removing all of parts of their clothes, especially on cold nights. This is actually a common reaction from victims of hypothermia.
He also kept drawing similarities between disappearances of people that were decades apart... and coming up with patterns that I just wasn’t seeing/were not really patterns.
If you look past the conspiracy theory case summaries, this was a pretty interesting read. There were several cases that made me shiver a bit (like the girl who said she was perused for three weeks by a group of men or the official who said he knew of wild men living in the mountains/woods).
I don’t think it was anywhere near worth the price plus shipping from his shop, and certainly not worth the second hand scalper prices you see on eBay and Amazon. If I can find some of these at a library or for a reasonable second hand price, I’ll probably read more.
September 7, 2016
This is one I'll read and read again! So much detail and hard work put into this book. If you're obsessed with unsolved mysteries, you need this in your library!
March 3, 2022
So this is the 2nd book in the series. Basically the author felt the book was too large and broke it into two, western and eastern United States. While many of the cases are fascinating (and horrific), I don't understand exactly what Mr. Paulides is trying to insinuate. Perhaps nothing. I personally believe that he suspects "Bigfoot" is responsible for a lot of these disappearances. I don't believe there is a giant humanoid race of intelligent ape roaming the woods, swamps, and mountains of North America. Until some real evidence is found, Bigfoot remains a cryptid.
Some of the cases I think can be explained in other ways. For a lot of the people never found, I can't discount the fact that most of the time it is a relative or close family friend that has done something to the person. In urban areas it is almost always the spouse or parents that are questioned first. The sad truth is, most of the time they did do it. It's just harder to cover up a crime committed in a populated city. In the wilderness though, well that's a completely different story. Take one of the last cases in this book. A 53 year old woman, her husband, and a cousin go to a cabin to hunt. It's never stated whose cousin it is. Supposedly the husband doesn't feel good and stays at the cabin while his wife and the cousin go out hunting. Then she falls in a creek and they decide to go back so she can get dry clothing, but for some reason they split up on the way back. Then she disappears. The two men say they searched for her all night and then sook out the help of the police in the morning. First of all how does anyone know the husband and cousin are telling the truth? Perhaps they both know what happened to her and a simple cover story was thought up. Out in the woods, there isn't anyone around to see or hear anything strange. Maybe the husband really doesn't have any involvement and it was the cousin. Especially if it's not her cousin by blood. The book doesn't even say his age though. I find it odd that they didn't immediately think to have one of them head back and get the police. I sure as hell hope my husband would if we were in this situation. Then the poor lady is found drowned 7 months later. The condition of her body is not stated. She went missing when it was cold and was found in the Spring if I remember right. One of those men could have easily drowned her and her body remained hidden in the frozen waters until things thawed. Of course that is all speculation and I don't know these people at all. It just seems like Mr. Paulides overlooks the simple in exchange for a more extraordinary explanation. Occams razor almost always applies in real life.
I did learn that people were downright negligent when it came to looking after their very small children before the 21st century. As a child of the 1980's I can say that it is true. Parents allowed their toddlers to roam around with other kids and no adults. When I was 4 years old I lived on a street populated with kids around my age. There was a fast flowing creek behind our house and the way down to it was very steep. This is Colorado and we also lived in the mountains. So there are bear, mountain lions, coyotes... a lot of predators. Anyway, I clearly remember running around the neighborhood with a pack of other kids ranging in age from 3 to about 8. It was normal for the time. I have young children and I could not imagine letting them do this kind of thing now. Even worse are the parents that would put their 2 year old baby out in the open yard to play and then go back in the house. As if their kid is a dog. I think dogs nowadays are watched after better than many toddlers were in the early 20th century! I know Mr. Paulides makes a point of choosing cases that are in rural areas, close to national forests, but that doesn't mean your kid is safe from everything. It also doesn't mean something mysterious happened. Toddlers wander off and can get pretty far in 10 or 15 minutes.
Many, many, many times he mentions that young children do not have the endurance to go as far as they have in such a short time. Having had 4 kids myself I would have to disagree. I also disagree with the assessment that kids will always take the easy path when wandering or lost. Maybe they saw something interesting up the ridge and just wanted to take a quick look. I have very clear memories of being 4 years old. I can say that I probably would have walked up a hill to get a better look at what is below me. It does seem, based on the cases he studied, that the younger a child is the more likely they are to survive being lost in the woods. If an adult goes missing it's almost a certainty that they will be found dead or never found. That goes against what I would logically conclude to be true.
I think more males go missing than females just by nature. More men hunt and hike alone than women. Women have had centuries to hone survival skills just to stay safe when walking alone in a crowded city, let alone a forest. I always find myself hyper aware of my surroundings when I am out in public or the wilderness, by myself. Young boys are more likely to be daring and leave the safety of the group. Look at all the boys that went missing in these books because they split off from the group to take a short cut. Girls are more likely to stay with the group. It's just the way we're programmed. Of course this isn't a hard rule for both genders, but by majority it applies. Especially in the past. Girls were not encouraged to be adventurous, boys were.
Same goes for most of the missing being white, native/indigenous, hispanic in ethnicities. Culturally these were the races that went out into the wilderness for fun. Especially before the 21st century. I wonder if this only holds true for North America. I did find it odd that Mr. Paulides noted when a missing person was blonde. What does that matter? There didn't seem to be an overwhelming amount of blondes disappearing. He never explains why he noted this.
I firmly believe that there are "wild men" living in the Appalachians. There is plenty of proof of this even today. There is the story of the alleged "cult of incest" in Western Australia. An entire 40 person family living almost like animals. Propagating with each other for over 4 generations. Found in 2013. There are many stories similar to this that come out of the Appalachians. I would never hike that trail alone and unarmed.
All in all though, it's an illuminating read. My family and friends spend most of our free time in the summer months, out in the wilderness. I will be making sure to never take my eyes off of my children and to go over the rules of being in the woods. Even then, I think this book has ramped up my paranoia about being in the wilderness.
Some of the cases I think can be explained in other ways. For a lot of the people never found, I can't discount the fact that most of the time it is a relative or close family friend that has done something to the person. In urban areas it is almost always the spouse or parents that are questioned first. The sad truth is, most of the time they did do it. It's just harder to cover up a crime committed in a populated city. In the wilderness though, well that's a completely different story. Take one of the last cases in this book. A 53 year old woman, her husband, and a cousin go to a cabin to hunt. It's never stated whose cousin it is. Supposedly the husband doesn't feel good and stays at the cabin while his wife and the cousin go out hunting. Then she falls in a creek and they decide to go back so she can get dry clothing, but for some reason they split up on the way back. Then she disappears. The two men say they searched for her all night and then sook out the help of the police in the morning. First of all how does anyone know the husband and cousin are telling the truth? Perhaps they both know what happened to her and a simple cover story was thought up. Out in the woods, there isn't anyone around to see or hear anything strange. Maybe the husband really doesn't have any involvement and it was the cousin. Especially if it's not her cousin by blood. The book doesn't even say his age though. I find it odd that they didn't immediately think to have one of them head back and get the police. I sure as hell hope my husband would if we were in this situation. Then the poor lady is found drowned 7 months later. The condition of her body is not stated. She went missing when it was cold and was found in the Spring if I remember right. One of those men could have easily drowned her and her body remained hidden in the frozen waters until things thawed. Of course that is all speculation and I don't know these people at all. It just seems like Mr. Paulides overlooks the simple in exchange for a more extraordinary explanation. Occams razor almost always applies in real life.
I did learn that people were downright negligent when it came to looking after their very small children before the 21st century. As a child of the 1980's I can say that it is true. Parents allowed their toddlers to roam around with other kids and no adults. When I was 4 years old I lived on a street populated with kids around my age. There was a fast flowing creek behind our house and the way down to it was very steep. This is Colorado and we also lived in the mountains. So there are bear, mountain lions, coyotes... a lot of predators. Anyway, I clearly remember running around the neighborhood with a pack of other kids ranging in age from 3 to about 8. It was normal for the time. I have young children and I could not imagine letting them do this kind of thing now. Even worse are the parents that would put their 2 year old baby out in the open yard to play and then go back in the house. As if their kid is a dog. I think dogs nowadays are watched after better than many toddlers were in the early 20th century! I know Mr. Paulides makes a point of choosing cases that are in rural areas, close to national forests, but that doesn't mean your kid is safe from everything. It also doesn't mean something mysterious happened. Toddlers wander off and can get pretty far in 10 or 15 minutes.
Many, many, many times he mentions that young children do not have the endurance to go as far as they have in such a short time. Having had 4 kids myself I would have to disagree. I also disagree with the assessment that kids will always take the easy path when wandering or lost. Maybe they saw something interesting up the ridge and just wanted to take a quick look. I have very clear memories of being 4 years old. I can say that I probably would have walked up a hill to get a better look at what is below me. It does seem, based on the cases he studied, that the younger a child is the more likely they are to survive being lost in the woods. If an adult goes missing it's almost a certainty that they will be found dead or never found. That goes against what I would logically conclude to be true.
I think more males go missing than females just by nature. More men hunt and hike alone than women. Women have had centuries to hone survival skills just to stay safe when walking alone in a crowded city, let alone a forest. I always find myself hyper aware of my surroundings when I am out in public or the wilderness, by myself. Young boys are more likely to be daring and leave the safety of the group. Look at all the boys that went missing in these books because they split off from the group to take a short cut. Girls are more likely to stay with the group. It's just the way we're programmed. Of course this isn't a hard rule for both genders, but by majority it applies. Especially in the past. Girls were not encouraged to be adventurous, boys were.
Same goes for most of the missing being white, native/indigenous, hispanic in ethnicities. Culturally these were the races that went out into the wilderness for fun. Especially before the 21st century. I wonder if this only holds true for North America. I did find it odd that Mr. Paulides noted when a missing person was blonde. What does that matter? There didn't seem to be an overwhelming amount of blondes disappearing. He never explains why he noted this.
I firmly believe that there are "wild men" living in the Appalachians. There is plenty of proof of this even today. There is the story of the alleged "cult of incest" in Western Australia. An entire 40 person family living almost like animals. Propagating with each other for over 4 generations. Found in 2013. There are many stories similar to this that come out of the Appalachians. I would never hike that trail alone and unarmed.
All in all though, it's an illuminating read. My family and friends spend most of our free time in the summer months, out in the wilderness. I will be making sure to never take my eyes off of my children and to go over the rules of being in the woods. Even then, I think this book has ramped up my paranoia about being in the wilderness.
October 2, 2020
I like David Paulides and his books. I find it absolutely creepy and disturbing that people have gone missing in North America without a trace. I high recommend the two movies about these missing cases Missing 411. Paulides thoroughly researches the cases and displays the facts, he also states his opinions on what happened but mostly he expresses how befuddled he is about these cases. I was particularly interested in the book because I live on the east coast and I would like to know the locations of these cases. It was printed in 2008 and needs an update however.
One particular case is Peggie Melton who disappeared on the Deep Creek Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains in 1950. The crazy thing is I went tubing there last July. We also walked the entire trails in that area. The tubing was rough and my family and I got scratched up and tossed off our tubes numerous times. Energetically the place felt off as I usually don't have weird mishaps when I do fun activities. It's almost like the Creek didn't want people there tubing (it was completely packed).
I hope someday the National Park Service and or the FBI open up the archives to investigators like Paulides and reveal the truth of what is going on. In the meantime, be very careful when you are in rural and wooded areas in the USA and Canada. Something super creepy is going on.
One particular case is Peggie Melton who disappeared on the Deep Creek Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains in 1950. The crazy thing is I went tubing there last July. We also walked the entire trails in that area. The tubing was rough and my family and I got scratched up and tossed off our tubes numerous times. Energetically the place felt off as I usually don't have weird mishaps when I do fun activities. It's almost like the Creek didn't want people there tubing (it was completely packed).
I hope someday the National Park Service and or the FBI open up the archives to investigators like Paulides and reveal the truth of what is going on. In the meantime, be very careful when you are in rural and wooded areas in the USA and Canada. Something super creepy is going on.
September 14, 2017
First off, I'm a very generous reviewer. Damn it, I LOVE books. But I haven't been this enraged at a book (for different reasons) since the Plague Dogs. Something about the Plague Dogs upset her......but what? She could've given this book a better review, but.....why NOT? I don't believe in coincidences...
I read a lot about disappearances, and I mostly enjoyed reading it (She said mostly....how come?)
I found these interesting, and very heartbreaking.
And this is on the author ONLY: Shoddy research. I am the stupidest person in the west. It took me 5 minutes to find Barofsky's first name, family, previous addresses, and if he had a family he obviously lived (BONUS, to the first person who answers Barofsky's information. Shame the devil! (she might be sarcastic......but why? I detected snark....but how come........Something pissed her off.....but what?)
I read a lot about disappearances, and I mostly enjoyed reading it (She said mostly....how come?)
I found these interesting, and very heartbreaking.
And this is on the author ONLY: Shoddy research. I am the stupidest person in the west. It took me 5 minutes to find Barofsky's first name, family, previous addresses, and if he had a family he obviously lived (BONUS, to the first person who answers Barofsky's information. Shame the devil! (she might be sarcastic......but why? I detected snark....but how come........Something pissed her off.....but what?)
February 6, 2016
I have to admit having a soft spot for the unexplained. Although David Paulides doesn't offer an answer for the missing persons he lists here, the book is nevertheless strangely compelling. It could've used a good editor and some more solid awareness of the pigeon-hole fallacy, but still, it will leave you wondering. After reading it, I find myself disinclined to allow family or friends to go out alone for a walk in the woods. A good book to give you a few grotesque shivers and more than a few lethal question marks.
July 21, 2014
This is an AMAZING READ, Scary, but True stories of missing children and Adults. Very odd facts that are similar in most all of the cases of the missing. National Parks won't talk, nor give information to the investigators. It will make you think twice about going into the woods near National or close to National Parks. Can't wait to get the Missing 411 (Western Region) book. I pray for all the family's that have lost their loved ones.
August 23, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. It is an encyclopedia of missing persons under bizarre circumstances. It sure gave me the chills. I will now read the book on western disappearances, which supposedly came first in the series. At times the details became repetitive, but I was hooked until the end. I went to the internet to research many of his cases, and they are how he presented them.
July 10, 2018
This book purports to document hundreds of mysteriously missing people over the course of more than 100 years. The author finds patterns in missing very young children, people in rural often swampy areas with berry patches. He seems to be suggesting that there are groups of "wild men" who may be abducting these people The book is highly speculative and just plain weird.
February 11, 2019
I have to get this back to the owning library, so I skimmed the middle and read the conclusions. Interesting. Not sure I'm buying what the author's selling for the most part, but there are some weird occurrences over the past 100 or so years with people disappearing either permanently or temporarily. Kind of makes you not want to go for a walk in the woods alone anytime soon.
September 28, 2016
These books are so creepy interesting. These are unsolved cases of deaths/disappearances. The cases on the East coast are much different than those in the West. They are mostly young men who end up dead in some type of water. Mystifying and unsolved.
June 5, 2019
Wow...just Wow! This book puts together many cases of missing persons from all over the Eastern United States that seem to have many similarities. Very interesting read...it will definitely make you stop and think. I've read and re-read this book 3 times. I highly recommend!
October 29, 2022
Spelling and grammar
This book initially I believed would be fascinating but it was impossible to read.
Spelling and grammar mistakes abound .
Typing mistakes,
It's just a mess,it really needs a proof reader
This book initially I believed would be fascinating but it was impossible to read.
Spelling and grammar mistakes abound .
Typing mistakes,
It's just a mess,it really needs a proof reader
April 4, 2015
A must read!
August 23, 2025
this book was... bizarre...
in good and bad ways. there were dozens, possibly hundreds of missing person cases described based on their geographical location and while some are truely unexplainable, there are quite a few that can be attributed to very simple explanations so it came as a bit of a surprise that Paulides--an experienced detective with 20+ years of experience-- failed to even address these as a possible outcome.
this is a series that really has to be read with a critical eye. many of the biographies he presents are little more than a few paragraphs with barely described detail and that may be for a lack of physical evidence so I wont blame him for that. what I can say is that I was a bit disappointed with the lack of analysis. many of the stories are presented as fantastical and nigh-on impossible which can be seen that way on a superficial level however that doesn't take away from the fact that these were real people who really did go missing and in many cases, were never found. it feels disingenuous to the victims and the families of the victims--some of which are still alive today. There's also a sense that for many of the cases, crucial details are left out and in the cases where the family or police involved in the case are still alive, I have to wonder why Paulides wouldn't speak to them himself to get the full story if he was going to quote them or use their written reports as proof.
There's also an underlying tone in the book that feels... off... and not in a good way. especially in the conclusion when he is summarizing what he suspects happened to many of the victims and which governing bodies took responsibility for each case, there's a strong passion in his phrasing but in many cases it almost feels angry. like he's blaming these governing bodies for not finding these people or conspiring about how or why they may have deliberately covered up some of these disappearances because of ulterior motives which I found quite gauge and frankly disrespectful. There is plenty of room for discussion about what actually happened to these people but to assume that most of them were involved in some giant conspiracy revolving around national parks and clusters of wilderness just isn't right and I'm not buying it without some substantial proof (which Paulides fails to provide).
Hearsay is not proof.
Rumors are not proof.
Speculation is not proof.
All in all, it's a neat collection of mysterious cases that have not been solved but I--not a detective or expert at solving mysteries-- do have a strong background in science and mathematics and with so many of these, i can think of several possible explanations that consider every point of confusion that Paulides mentions. These cases need to be re-examined, yes, but critically and with a scientific eye before any conspiracies around ufo's, cryptids, or government operations should be considered. In many cases, the survivors are traumatized and we have extensive scientific evidence showing that memory is faulty and prone to misremember or exaggerate, especially in times of distress and almost certainly when "something" comes up and "grabs my child and runs of". There is every reason to suspect that cases where "a giant covered in coarse black fur scooped my child and took off running" in an area where bears, wolves, and humans live, then I am inclined to believe that it is in fact a bear, or a wolf, or even a very hairy human. All we have is hearsay and if that is the only evidence you have to claim "cryptid", I am going to call your bluff.
These cases were not otherworldly. They were tragic and I believe they should have been treated as such without humoring the possibility of cryptids or conspiracies. allow the testimonies of the people who were there to be presented raw to the reader and let us draw our own conclusion on that front.
in good and bad ways. there were dozens, possibly hundreds of missing person cases described based on their geographical location and while some are truely unexplainable, there are quite a few that can be attributed to very simple explanations so it came as a bit of a surprise that Paulides--an experienced detective with 20+ years of experience-- failed to even address these as a possible outcome.
this is a series that really has to be read with a critical eye. many of the biographies he presents are little more than a few paragraphs with barely described detail and that may be for a lack of physical evidence so I wont blame him for that. what I can say is that I was a bit disappointed with the lack of analysis. many of the stories are presented as fantastical and nigh-on impossible which can be seen that way on a superficial level however that doesn't take away from the fact that these were real people who really did go missing and in many cases, were never found. it feels disingenuous to the victims and the families of the victims--some of which are still alive today. There's also a sense that for many of the cases, crucial details are left out and in the cases where the family or police involved in the case are still alive, I have to wonder why Paulides wouldn't speak to them himself to get the full story if he was going to quote them or use their written reports as proof.
There's also an underlying tone in the book that feels... off... and not in a good way. especially in the conclusion when he is summarizing what he suspects happened to many of the victims and which governing bodies took responsibility for each case, there's a strong passion in his phrasing but in many cases it almost feels angry. like he's blaming these governing bodies for not finding these people or conspiring about how or why they may have deliberately covered up some of these disappearances because of ulterior motives which I found quite gauge and frankly disrespectful. There is plenty of room for discussion about what actually happened to these people but to assume that most of them were involved in some giant conspiracy revolving around national parks and clusters of wilderness just isn't right and I'm not buying it without some substantial proof (which Paulides fails to provide).
Hearsay is not proof.
Rumors are not proof.
Speculation is not proof.
All in all, it's a neat collection of mysterious cases that have not been solved but I--not a detective or expert at solving mysteries-- do have a strong background in science and mathematics and with so many of these, i can think of several possible explanations that consider every point of confusion that Paulides mentions. These cases need to be re-examined, yes, but critically and with a scientific eye before any conspiracies around ufo's, cryptids, or government operations should be considered. In many cases, the survivors are traumatized and we have extensive scientific evidence showing that memory is faulty and prone to misremember or exaggerate, especially in times of distress and almost certainly when "something" comes up and "grabs my child and runs of". There is every reason to suspect that cases where "a giant covered in coarse black fur scooped my child and took off running" in an area where bears, wolves, and humans live, then I am inclined to believe that it is in fact a bear, or a wolf, or even a very hairy human. All we have is hearsay and if that is the only evidence you have to claim "cryptid", I am going to call your bluff.
These cases were not otherworldly. They were tragic and I believe they should have been treated as such without humoring the possibility of cryptids or conspiracies. allow the testimonies of the people who were there to be presented raw to the reader and let us draw our own conclusion on that front.
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