'Missing 411', by David Paulides: Tracking unusual missing persons cases

[Palinurus]

Very sad, indeed. RIP. My thoughts are with his family.

Nevertheless, the following caught my eye (and hart) as well:

The search involved hundreds of people on foot and horseback, driving ATVs and in the air.

"I would estimate that about 30,000 volunteer hours were donated this week, the majority of them by people who are total strangers to the Martens family," Paquet said.

"The true genuine care and concern of Manitobans is something that should be recognized and commended."

The news came as a huge blow to neighbours like Robert Smith, who took part in the search with members of the local crime watch and range patrol.

"Everybody that had something they could offer, they stepped forward. I'm so proud to be a person from Austin because it's just so wonderful to know that people would drop whatever they have to come to support a family that's in need," Smith said.

So, there's something like a silver lining to this story too after all.

 

[kalibex]

There was some of that 'bad weather' often seen right after disappearances that hampered the Martens search. Wonder if that was possible 4D weather interference... :(

 

[Voyageur]

Very sad, indeed. RIP. My thoughts are with his family.

Nevertheless, the following caught my eye (and hart) as well:

The search involved hundreds of people on foot and horseback, driving ATVs and in the air.

"I would estimate that about 30,000 volunteer hours were donated this week, the majority of them by people who are total strangers to the Martens family," Paquet said.

"The true genuine care and concern of Manitobans is something that should be recognized and commended."

The news came as a huge blow to neighbours like Robert Smith, who took part in the search with members of the local crime watch and range patrol.

"Everybody that had something they could offer, they stepped forward. I'm so proud to be a person from Austin because it's just so wonderful to know that people would drop whatever they have to come to support a family that's in need," Smith said.

So, there's something like a silver lining to this story too after all.

Agreed, and I think the care would equally be shared in communities most everywhere, which underlines the great bonding together of human nature.

I watched a little on the search, very sad, and yet could not not think that the search parameters would have focused in great death initially to the first 1000 meter radius, which is where his body was eventually found, so an appropriate thread to list this story in. I am sure there will now be those who searched saying, well we searched ever inch of the creeks - and not just once.

My heart goes out to parents and family and to the community at large.

 

[Keit]

Just stumbled upon the following story about American student Colin Madsen's death in the Republic of Buryatia, Russia.

Unfortunately, I don't have time today to dig more into the story, but some of the facts mentioned in the article are already very interesting and actually suggest that maybe something similar to what is described in 411 has happened with this young man too. Here are the relevant quotes:

His body was found near the tourist village of Arshan on Monday, eight days after he vanished from a guest house where he was staying with friend...

'He would have never walked to a place in the pitch dark with his shoes unlaced, no socks, and when he was leaving for a climb in just a few hours that he was so excited about.'...

'A. He did not go out in a T-shirt, it was a long sleeve thermal shirt.

'B. There is no substantiation that he went or told any one he was going outside for a walk. The bathrooms are outside, in an out house.

'C. If Colin did any drugs (which we don't know) he would have smoked marijuana and that was hours before this event occurred. There was no alcohol involved.

'D. There were not sub zero temps that night. I have been told it was warm, and if anyone knows Colin, he had an incredible tolerance to cool weather.

'E. He was familiar with this place that he loved to hike, spoke fluent Russian, and had his pack, water and food ready for the climb. Those things were left at the cabin.

'F. He was found a mile a way, one day after the Russian FBI came. Not huddled or covered with leaves but flat on his back in grass with his sleeves pushed up, his boots unlaced, no socks on, his eyes and mouth open. He was not in snow but on the grass under a tree.' She said that an 'unscrupulous rescuer' took a picture of his body 'and sold it to a Russian tabloid.'

'G. We know he wasn't suicidal, he was excited about wanting to work in the (consulate) in Vladivostok or the UN.

'H. He Loved his friends and family.'

There was no outward sign of injury on Madsen's body, nor any indication he had been robbed, according to local reports. Tests were being conducted for signs of drugs.

 

[jar]

Horrifying Search and Rescue Stories | "Im a Search and Rescue Officer for the US Forest Service.."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhkgXOUDetc&nohtml5=False

The video link above is a audio recording of someone reading the written firsthand accounts of a Search and Rescue Officer for the US Forest Service. The video really has nothing to do with what is being said. He makes 8 entries of his experiences and those of his colleagues.

At first I thought it was just someone making up scary stories but as I listen to his firsthand accounts, the hair on the back of neck stood up as the descriptions of the victims he found, both alive and dead, fall in line with the C’s 411 and Dyatlov Pass information. The strange abductions, time distortions, mutilations, “creatures”, “stairways” 30 miles into the woods etc. “Berry patches” are even mentioned. The language is a bit harsh at times but understandable based on what he is describing.

I would not listen to this late at night!

Written account can be read here:

Part 1: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/3iex1h/im_a_search_and_rescue_officer_for_the_us_forest/

Part 2: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/3ijnt6/im_a_search_and_rescue_officer_for_the_us_forest/

Part 3: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/3iocju/im_a_search_and_rescue_officer_for_the_us_forest/

Part 4: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/3jadum/im_a_search_and_rescue_officer_for_the_us_forest/

Part 5: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/3kd90k/im_a_search_and_rescue_officer_for_the_us_forest/

Part 6: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/3ppq81/im_a_search_and_rescue_officer_for_the_us_forest/

Part 7: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/3sktwj/im_a_search_and_rescue_officer_for_the_us_forest/

Part 8: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/3ydj67/im_a_search_and_rescue_officer_for_the_us_forest/

 

[Altair]

Just stumbled upon the following story about American student Colin Madsen's death in the Republic of Buryatia, Russia.

Unfortunately, I don't have time today to dig more into the story, but some of the facts mentioned in the article are already very interesting and actually suggest that maybe something similar to what is described in 411 has happened with this young man too. Here are the relevant quotes:

His body was found near the tourist village of Arshan on Monday, eight days after he vanished from a guest house where he was staying with friend...

'He would have never walked to a place in the pitch dark with his shoes unlaced, no socks, and when he was leaving for a climb in just a few hours that he was so excited about.'...

'A. He did not go out in a T-shirt, it was a long sleeve thermal shirt.

'B. There is no substantiation that he went or told any one he was going outside for a walk. The bathrooms are outside, in an out house.

'C. If Colin did any drugs (which we don't know) he would have smoked marijuana and that was hours before this event occurred. There was no alcohol involved.

'D. There were not sub zero temps that night. I have been told it was warm, and if anyone knows Colin, he had an incredible tolerance to cool weather.

'E. He was familiar with this place that he loved to hike, spoke fluent Russian, and had his pack, water and food ready for the climb. Those things were left at the cabin.

'F. He was found a mile a way, one day after the Russian FBI came. Not huddled or covered with leaves but flat on his back in grass with his sleeves pushed up, his boots unlaced, no socks on, his eyes and mouth open. He was not in snow but on the grass under a tree.' She said that an 'unscrupulous rescuer' took a picture of his body 'and sold it to a Russian tabloid.'

'G. We know he wasn't suicidal, he was excited about wanting to work in the (consulate) in Vladivostok or the UN.

'H. He Loved his friends and family.'

There was no outward sign of injury on Madsen's body, nor any indication he had been robbed, according to local reports. Tests were being conducted for signs of drugs.

Thank you for posting it, Keit. I searched a bit on the Russian Internet. He arrived in Arshan on March 26. During the day he was apparently taking drugs with another American and two locals. No alcohol, no quarrels. He disappeared on March 27 between 2 and 5 pm and was found on April 4 in the forest just 1,5 km away from Arshan. Interesting that I couldn't find any mention of unlaced shoes and missing socks on the Russian Internet. I think we should keep an eye on this case and see how it will unfold. I will post the case on ru.sott.net.

 

[kalibex]

Horrifying Search and Rescue Stories | "Im a Search and Rescue Officer for the US Forest Service.."

Please be aware that these are all indeed fictional - the author (who is a 'she', and who admitted that she'd found the Missing 411 info inspiring) has a web site and made a point of reminding people there that these were not true stories. While many of the writers there are very effective at what they do, that whole sub-reddit is, in the end, fiction. Paulides even stopped by another forum where these were mentioned to confirm that these particular stories were not real.

 

[Jtucker]

Horrifying Search and Rescue Stories | "Im a Search and Rescue Officer for the US Forest Service.."

Please be aware that these are all indeed fictional - the author (who is a 'she', and who admitted that she'd found the Missing 411 info inspiring) has a web site and made a point of reminding people there that these were not true stories. While many of the writers there are very effective at what they do, that whole sub-reddit is, in the end, fiction. Paulides even stopped by another forum where these were mentioned to confirm that these particular stories were not real.

Most of the edits and tales do read as if they were written by the same writer. But the CDC story was something unusual and linked to the cattle mutilation aspect of hyper-dimensional abduction that Paulides hasn't touched in the 3 books of his I've read. I found this comment on another site regarding the authenticity of the stories.

Re: i know what they are, do you? staircases in the woods.
« Reply #29 on: January 23, 2016, 08:54:52 PM »
Either they're fictional stories or he was pressured into saying they are. This is from his tumblr account:

"A message from confusing-entity
Why did you say all your stories are fictional?? So sad :( I wanted to chill on a staircase with a no face buddy but now I guess I gotta just draw a picture of it instead of living it :,( keep the mystery alive!!

Reply from searchandrescuewoods
Due to an issue with people unintentionally inconveniencing a wonderful man who is doing his best to solve missing persons cases, I was forced to add a disclaimer to the series. I enjoyed having the air of uncertainty surrounding my work, but as a fiction writer it is my responsibility to ensure that no real investigations are hampered as a result of what I do.

http://searchandrescuewoods.tumblr.com/"

There's an awful lot of variation to the stories and it seems like there may be roots in some actual tales. I have an old series of books called "Foxfire" from the 70's, and I've never found any of them online. Two of the stories in her Redditt thread are remarkably similar to the ones in Foxfire. I think there may be some actual source material behind the fiction she's published.

 

[kalibex]

I think there may be some actual source material behind the fiction she's published.

Very probably; she did admit that the 411 information was one thing that had inspired her. But it does no one any good to confuse her stories with Paulides' actual cases (I suspect people had started constantly contacting him about her stories, which was why she later added that reminder/disclaimer to her website.)

I also read those stories, and yes, even 'suspended disbelief' for a time (thinking, 'So much like Paulides' stuff! Maybe this SAR guy is another real data point, but just felt he had to post this stuff in no_sleep as no one would read or believe it otherwise!)', finally getting brought back to reality after seeing her disclaimer on her website. I know their effectiveness first hand.

OTOH, I feel like there's also a fine line between people becoming aware of risk... which Paulides, for example, has documented is out there... and people getting all riled up over fictitious details. She (as is her right as an author) added on additional, gruesome details which have not been documented as far as I know by researchers like Paulides (assuming details aren't being withheld from us, and I don't think he would do that), which IMO contributes a 'fearporn' quality to her stories. They are, in the end, scary horror stories. And while disappearing and then being found dead is horrible, I'm not sure people have to worry, for example, that they'll be found dead stuck up in a tree, all mangled internally.

It's like... we want to be aware... but, lacking real documentation, not actively scared for the 'wrong' reasons, so to speak. Because, in the end...who does that benefit?

 

[Z...]

Now this is pretty bizarre

http://<iframe width="560" height="...fs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Jtucker]

I think there may be some actual source material behind the fiction she's published.

She (as is her right as an author) added on additional, gruesome details which have not been documented as far as I know by researchers like Paulides (assuming details aren't being withheld from us, and I don't think he would do that), which IMO contributes a 'fearporn' quality to her stories. They are, in the end, scary horror stories. And while disappearing and then being found dead is horrible, I'm not sure people have to worry, for example, that they'll be found dead stuck up in a tree, all mangled internally.

It's like... we want to be aware... but, lacking real documentation, not actively scared for the 'wrong' reasons, so to speak. Because, in the end...who does that benefit?

You're right, there is a "fearporn" quality to the staircase tales, and it may be steering some hikers in the wrong direction. If it inspires a few people to explore Paulides' actual research, then her writing may have served a positive purpose for awareness. One thing that hit me after reflecting on its authenticity, is the nature of high strangeness itself. I wouldn't be at all surprised if staircases suddenly started popping up in woods because there is some critical psychological mass created by the readers of the tales who are sure they exist.

There's a section in Keel's "Mothman Prophecies" where he describes a report of a building appearing in a farmer's field in West Virginia and disappearing the next day. In "New Lands" by Fort there are also numerous descriptions of cities/towns/markets/buildings that show up and disappear in a short time. Possibly this is could be dimensional bleed through as well.

After reading the Nosleep threads, I started describing the phenomenon to everyone at work and friends. Everyone thought it sounded creepy and real - as if it was something they had always sensed was out there. But none of the people I discussed it with had spent any substantial time in the back country. I emailed my aunt who has hiked regularly in quite remote regions and she said she had never seen anything that was that strange and no staircases. Her and my uncle have worked in Canadian National Parks since the early 70's as well as avalanche patrol. They have described dangerous and strange animal behaviour - but no stair cases.

 

[kalibex]

I emailed my aunt who has hiked regularly in quite remote regions and she said she had never seen anything that was that strange and no staircases. Her and my uncle have worked in Canadian National Parks since the early 70's as well as avalanche patrol. They have described dangerous and strange animal behaviour - but no stair cases.

Paulides has been known to remind people that of all the people who go missing (some of whom are merely people willingly disappearing), the percentage who fit his specific, narrow profile is pretty small. (I don't know the #.) That such weird disappearances/deaths that can't currently be explained happen at all is infuriating, but to quote the blurb from Barry Glassner's The Culture of Fear:

Why do we have so many fears these days? Are we living in exceptionally dangerous times? To watch the news, you’d certainly think so, but Glassner demonstrates that it is our perception of danger that has increased, not the actual level of risk. The Culture of Fear is an expose of the people and organizations that manipulate our perceptions and profit from our fear...

Ok, so things are getting a tad dicier and Glassner's referring to media spin and manipulation, but his general point still stands. For me, the bottom line is, if we really do think that 4D STS profits from our negative emotions...let's not get unduly anxious if we really don't have to...eh?

 

[A Jay]

Now this is pretty bizarre

Bizarre and creepy. I couldn't find the voicemail alone, just the clip provided in the interview. But, I did find this:

The latest clue into McCabe’s whereabouts is a voicemail he left his brother shortly before his disappearance. While most of the message is unintelligible, it is in stark contrast to the hard working family man that many knew him to be.

The message was left on his brother's voicemail on the early morning of September 7th, the last day he was seen.

“It really hurt me, it really did,” Seyon Nyanwleh a search organizer said of the voicemail. “I asked the brother, ‘are you sure this is Henry?’ He said yes this is Henry's voicemail.”

The message, which appears to have McCabe crying and yelling, often incoherently, has raised questions amongst those concerned for him.

“What could possibly be happening to him and why is that happening?” Nyanwleh said. “It's also frightening why would a grown man sound like someone in distress or crying or almost begging or something. Of course it's heartbreaking.”.

_http://www.fox9.com/news/27752455-story

So he called both his wife and his brother and left very strange voicemails... Again, just bizarre.

 

[Z...]

Well to me me those sounds definitely dont sound like something human throat is capable of producing, but I can be wrong.

What I find very intriguing is that Paulides says that several men who were found dead in the water had "super exorbitantly high " levels of GHB ( date rape drug that renders you completely paralyzed but you are still conscious - sounds like sleep paralysis ) in their system.

 

[Aiming]

What I find very intriguing is that Paulides says that several men who were found dead in the water had "super exorbitantly high " levels of GHB ( date rape drug that renders you completely paralyzed but you are still conscious - sounds like sleep paralysis ) in their system.

Yes, I've been wondering about this, too. The body produces its own GHB, and 4D STS can probably induce it in some way to be released by the person - just like a researcher would inject something into a rat to study it. Horrific to think what this man, next to all the other affected people, must have been going through.

I do wonder whether the research on this, and when people's awareness about this abduction thing reaches a critical number, whether this can have any effect on protecting people from it happening, similar to what Karla Turner said about using anger against the abductors as a defense. It'll probably come down to individual level of awareness that can help (hopefully), but since the hypderdimensional food chain is an integral part of this world's fabric, it's unlikely there'll ever be enough people to even consider this reality and thus raise their awareness accordingly.