Seattle hiker Samantha Sayers has been missing since Aug. 1 at Vesper Peak. His father, Carlton Carr Sr. was an entrepreneur, jumping from hustle to hustle, but by far his most successful, and formative enterprise, was a gold mine in Colorado. I have better things to do. Rachel moved back into her dads home in Moses Lake. In this wide swath of mountains unpenetrated by cell phone coverage, the Verlot pay phone is literally a lifesaver; more than 25 calls to 911 were made between 2015 and 2017 alone. They covered a tremendous amount of ground. Dares was grateful that Carr was searching. By life. A carpenter by trade, who converted to Buddhism while in a Missouri prison, Carr spends months in the woods looking for missing people as a way of repaying his karmic debt to society. Revised April 2021. About a third were for outdoorspeople: hikers, campers, hunters, fishermen, spelunkers, or prospectors. Leave no trace? A dozen PJs, or Air Force Pararescue personnel, came up from Oregon; the navy flew a mission. Over the next 10 days, 137 volunteers spent roughly 2,000 hours combing the mountain. The official search started. Dares insisted on paying Carr $500 a week during the heat of the Sayers search. A Cup of Noodles, six hand warmers, some glow sticks. The note warned the woman, whom Carr passed while searching for Rachel Lakoduk, about hiking alone. It was a total shit show from what I've read from people who live out there or have experience with this type of hiking. Follow the creek to the river. How to travel in the mountains. There were a few other searches after that, Carr said, but things didnt really heat up until Samantha Sayers vanished on Vesper Peak in 2018. Well come up to you, the rogue search and rescue employee says. Hes a journeyman carpenter, although hes worked a grab bag of blue-collar jobs. That person wouldve walked out by now, I would think.. It was a bucket-list objective, her husband Jamie Lakoduk said. Samantha "Sam" Claire Sayers. Rachel Lakoduk woke early on Oct. 17, 2019, stuffed her purple sleeping bag into her green backpack, dumped her clean laundry on her bed, picked out the clothes she needed for the upcoming adventure, jumped into her white Jeep Cherokee and was westbound out of Moses Lake shortly after 7 a.m. She passed through Washingtons hot and dry middle, registered for her hike at a ranger station and then parked at the Hidden Lake Lookout trailhead. Up at camp, just below the stone summit pyramid, the buzz of Facebook was distant. At some point, she realized things were bad and turned around. She loved animals, snakes, frogs, horses it didnt matter and hated dolls, her father said. Not in our experience, states the post. She had given up wigs in high school, when in typical dramatic fashion she ripped one off her head during a class presentation. They remembered her distinctive bald head, crowned with a star tattoo like a Roman laurel wreath. The conversation covers more ground than the searchers have. Sometime in the morning of a bluebird August day, a Seattle woman picked up a pencil and wrote her name on the register at a trailhead off the Mountain Loop Highway. See how those goats move? No definitive signs ever surfaced; some footsteps on the southeast side could have been Sams, but they revealed nothing. He liked camping. The tether didnt lead back to Sam at all. His girlfriend, Samantha Sayers, also disappeared while hiking. That was nine months ago. Its as if the ties that bound Sam to him, to her life, to reality, are fluttering in the Cascade gusts, and after months of grasping at them he still cant seem to catch one between his fingers. A year after officials called off search for hiker Sam Sayers, her Language is powerful.. It felt true; he and Sam had lived together for more than a year, had talked about marriage. Hes proud of his German heritage, he said, although he believes the Nazis are disgusting. A background check revealed the burglary charges in Missouri, a warrant for arrest, stemming from that burglary charge, a failure to pay child support allegation and a marijuana possession charge. This unofficial search began as soon as SAR pulled out. Let's treat everyone with respect. Just one of those feelings. Like Kevin she was a self-employed entrepreneur, owner of a cleaning service for Airbnbs. and our The couple descended. Trash. "Please take a moment to look at their faces and read and share their stories. The system is so broke, they dont even track it, says David Francis, whose son Jon disappeared in Idaho in 2006. There are giant Reddit threads. Sayers, a 2008 graduate of Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy, left on the morning of Aug. 1, 2018, for a day hike at Vesper Peak in the North Cascade range, northeast of Seattle, where she lived. A drone operator, who also started a GoFundMe campaign, accused Carr of pretending he served in the military because of all the military camouflage he wore. So forgive Kevin for being a bit antisocial sometimes. Please PM me if you've got access to the goods! In videos posted to his own YouTube channel, he is combative and confident about his mountain experience. But since moving to Seattle in 2012, and spending months of his life living on Vesper Peak, hes accustomed himself to the Pacific Northwest lifestyle. Gentle, kind and quiet. Nine months later, the mystery has consumed the lives of thousands. Carr became the search operations manager, on the recommendation of Francis. He went out for a day, came back, said your son is dead, and left. A winter storm can be a brutal thing. In late July, the Tacoma Mountain Rescue Unit Facebook page posted a photo (clearly photoshopped) of a bearded man with a Pinocchio-length nose, wearing a do-rag and smoking a cigarette. One day Kevin watched Clay Olsen, one of the core searchers, trip holding an ice ax, missing his own forehead by inches. Sam Sayers Consulting. An accomplished smoker, American Spirits blue. The storm hit. The first winter storm of the year was rushing in, and snow was falling. It was there, in his rising panic, that Kevin tripped and broke his flashlight, forcing him to turn back. Imagining Sam bushwhacking her way through the forest around Vesper, family members filled Ziploc bags with snacks and instructions for Sam. That was the last time they spoke. Carlton Bud Carr Jr. was born in 1978 in Californias San Bernardino Valley. Think what you will of Carr, Dares said, but the fact is hes offering hope and a service that no one else is. Its just a really shitty club to be a part of.. They think, This is my chance to be a part of one.. Reflecting on that time, Dares said lots of people offered to help and some followed through. Kim Turner, a Belltown community health therapist already close with Kevin, quickly befriended his new girlfriend. Jun 2004 - Mar 20138 years 10 months. Seattle Met. Most of them are found, dead or alive, rather quickly. As a child, strangers in the store would comment on how beautiful her red hair was, to which she would only growl. A Nazi? They told her theyd turned back at 6,200 feet. Psychics and shamans relayed visions. Sam Sayers, described by her family and friends as an experienced hiker, set out on the morning of Aug. 1 for a solo hike in the North Cascades. It was Adamss first year as a search and rescue sergeant, taking over from a predecessor who oversaw SAR response for 22 years at the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office. All the things you want in a partner, he says. Too much vegetation. Local drone pilots launched flights, passing along footage that Sams Belltown crew posted online for anyone to scour for clues. Gifts processed in this system are not tax deductible, but are predominately used to help meet the local financial requirements needed to receive national matching-grant funds. What color is Lakoduks pad, backpack and sleeping bag, he asks, his voice tight with urgency. That was day 106. By 4 p.m. Oct. 17, Lakoduk had made it about 2.5 miles up the trail and was at 5,500 feet. And women are targeted by predators (2 and 4 legged) way more than men are.. Over the course of the next days the Skagit County Search and Rescue team will gather up Lakoduks remains and her things. And then there is Carlton Bud Carr Jr., the man who brought them together. But in August, they separated. When she graduated from Collegiate, Sayers went by the last name of Steinbaugh, according to the Erie School District, who confirmed her enrollment in 2018. A jet boat. 8:02 PM. Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens. Law enforcement, particularly the county sheriffs of the West who hold responsibility for wilderness operations, are by Davids accounting inadequately trained, funded, staffed, or committed to long-term searches.. The strange disappearance and death of Karen Sykes on Mount Rainier Time will tell. Carr is uncharacteristically quiet. A search ensued unlike anything the state of Washington has ever seen. If you're not cool with that thats fine too. But he knows that any scenario where Sams alive is a dark one. Though it was a weekday, the sunshine brought summer crowds; another hiker remembers seeing her eat a sandwich, lettuce protruding from between bread slices, while she chatted with rock climbers whod ascended one of the sharper faces. I'm a member of the truth group and the missing Seattle hikers group ( they discuss Sam's case and others and it's also my favorite because there's no stupid drama.) The videos, the posts, the paramilitary theatrics, all that makes Goins and others roll their eyes and in his view undermines Carrs mission. In Belltown. Sam was raised in the Erie, Pennsylvania area where her parents Ron and Lisa still live. Snohomish County Sheriffs Office searchers at Spada Lake, and a SAR unit briefing during the search. The tattoos on her scalp, Kevin says, were armor. Sayers was healthy but bald because of alopecia, an autoimmune disease that leads to hair loss, her mother, Lisa Yax Sayers, said on Facebook in 2018. He peeks under logs and behind boulders. SM is an admin but does not act like the other admins.Basically what I saw was half of the people think SS fell from the mountain and the other half think she was killed off the mountain. Published in the May 2019 issue of Once the proper trail peters out in the dirt and heather, its common for every comer to pick their own way. He moved to Colorado as a child and now lives in northwest Washington in a small, rented home on the Skagit River with his wife and three children. Sergeant Adams thinks Sam is somewhere on that mountain, not far from where she was last seen. David Francis, the man who lost his son in the Idaho Sawtooths, told a reporter that hed never seen anything like it and that they are the most dedicated West Coast County sheriffs Ive ever seen.. What color was Rachels pad, backpack and sleeping bag?. Sam had hiked Vesper Peak before, but its a rigorous trail. Beside him sits a county search and rescue volunteer who goes rogue occasionally, spending time outside the bounds of the county system, trying to bring closure to a family left wondering what happened to their daughter. Samantha Sayers is healthy but is bald because she has alopecia, an autoimmune disease that leads to hair loss, her mother said on Facebook. The wrong side of the mountain, he later told a sheriffs office sergeant. Washington has a robust search and rescue system, according to experts, yet counties can only search for so long. Theories were batted back and forth online. A GoFundMe page raised $60,000 for the search. But thats cold comfort for the families left behind. Dares was a wreck. Three years, and thousands of hours and dollars later, she remains missing. His sarcastic southern faade slips. A Seattle hotelier and real estate developer. Despite her healthy pallor, strangers assumed shed just undergone chemotherapy, and the sympathetic clucks wore on her. (GoFundMe) Search operations for a Seattle hiker missing since Aug. 1 have been suspended,. She was a strong woman who was not afraid to speak her mind, and I loved that about her, Turner says. 2 No Hate Speech or Bullying Make sure everyone feels safe. There was nothing down there, he says. I cannot even imagine how her poor family feels. After Collegiate, Sayers attended the State University of New York at Fredonia, where she graduated in 2013 with a bachelors degree in technical theatre and theatre design and technology, according to herLinkedInaccount. [Hiking] WA hiker Samantha Sayers is still missing. : r/HobbyDrama - reddit As the August day melted into late evening, Kevin grew concerned. On his foray into town that first night, Kevin had posted a plea on Facebook. Everyones gonna say, a boyfriend, whatever, fly-by-night, who cares, he says. Because at the end of the day, hes the only person out there helping you.. Ive always been of a warrior mindset. For $1,700. Carr stepped into this mess several days after Sayers went missing. There are the obvious theories including wild animal attacks, getting lost or falling. She and Jamie became good friends, Jamie Lakoduk said, and then started dating. Little cold-weather gear, no headlamp, Kevin tells her. Cookie Notice The Mysterious Disappearance of Sam Sayers - Longreads If Sam was distinctive for the head she shaved bald, Kevins signature trait is the thick New Orleans accent that betrays his Louisiana upbringing. Two boots. I had my flashlight going, banging, screamingno word, Kevin says to the 911 operator. Three years, and thousands of hours and dollars later, she remains missing. They clicked immediately. With his tattoos, felony conviction, self-promotion and a penchant for paramilitary theatrics, hes a lightning rod for criticism and a frequent topic of discussion in online hiking and climbing groups. Hearing that, Kevin can only give a scornful laugh. The aircrafts FLIR, an infrared camera, scanned for heat signatures, but the pilots also stuck their heads out windows. It's a dangerous hobby for someone not really experienced, or competent, or truly prepared. On a perfect summer day, a solo hiker went missing from a Cascade trail. Dares drops his pack. Prospectors found gold and silver in the area in the late 1800s, and the Sunrise Mine popped up around Wirtz Basin. She liked hiking. And then, a breakthrough. Squirrels are going to be stuffed, one poster wrote. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Vesper Peak comes to a triangular point, like a childs drawing of a mountain. Then he began to rally Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue through his radio. Thats a squishy number, though, because the two largest land managers the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service dont keep track. Nobody took her up on it and on Aug. 1, Sayers drove alone to the trailhead about two hours northeast of Seattle. With his dark pointed goatee and survivalist rhetoric, Carr rubbed many the wrong way. 447 followers 447 connections . He also worries that such rogue searchers put themselves in danger. Sayers' family and friends vow to keep searching for her until she is found. When volunteers arrived around 6am, they took off in teams to comb the trail and call out Sams name. Carr, at the time 19, started dating a girl and became friends with her dad, a crazy backwoods hillbilly who was convinced society would collapse in 2000. Whether or not he has anything to do with it, something is definitely up now. He began a Facebook group called The Truth of the Sam Sayers Case where followers could swap theories; one made a timeline that runs more than 180 pages. Recovery of Moses Lake hiker two years after vanishing prompts Using his cell phone for illumination under a moon just past full, he retreated three-and-a-half miles back to his car. Also, if you check out her IG she appeared to enjoy taking a lot of cliffside selfies soit's feasible she may have fallen. Adams established operations bases at nearby Big Four ice caves and at Spada Lake far below Vespers southeast side. The longest in state history. It lasted 22 days. And its possible no body was found due to wildlife in the area? Were looking for a green backpack and a purple sleeping bag, a member of the search party says without consulting notes, the details vivid after two years of futility. Rebellious and combative, he was in solitary numerous times, contemplated suicide but then converted to Buddhism (even publishing three short books on the topic). Ill owe Bud for the rest of my life, he said. He searched with the blessings of her son, despite the county sheriffs office asking him not to. A Christian. Below the steep north face of Vesper Peak, the edge of a glacier formed a moat at the base of the cliff, its bottom impossible to reach beneath the ice. Its been an uphill battle. So, when they stop, its relaxed. Dateline NBC series hopes to find Samantha Sayers, others still missing In his short tenure, Adams had already honed his instincts on missing hiker cases. Sheriff's office ends search for Samantha Sayers in North Cascades The best they could do, the carrier said, was load the SIM signature onto Dawns mobile, effectively cloning Sams iPhone. There the route passes across the south fork of the Stillaguamish River; hikers hop across boulders while the knee-deep creek rushes beneath. Samantha Sayers - University of Canberra - Greater Sydney Area - LinkedIn But, if youre not crazy youre not quitting your job, packing up all your (stuff) and then going in the woods for somebody youve never met. That will be nice for them.. But at that moment, on the steep side of a North Cascades mountain, Dares is shaking. People whod donated to the GoFundMe, which Kevin says was used entirely to fund the private search, wanted to know if the men had been goofing around up there, having a drug holiday around the campfire. In a recording of Kevins 911 call, the operator asks what Sam had with her. Point of Disappearance. His girlfriend, Samantha Sayers, also disappeared while hiking. Im looking for vent stacks. Kevin took it in stride, told the stranger who he was, but held no hard feelings. It was easy for fellow hikers to remember the young woman with the bald, tattooed head. Though Snohomish County had officially suspended its operation, Sergeant Adams came back up to snorkel Lake Elan in a thick dry suit. Super driven. She had two hiking poles, a blue backpack, a beige sun hat and a dark gray wool beanie. the truth about sam sayers I also believe quasi-conspiracy theories like missing411 perpetuate the underestimation of the dangers of going unprepared or overconfident into the wilderness by suggesting that there are other causes to the events other than accidents in the wild. Life had narrowed to a singular purpose, to comb a few square miles of earth for a trace. April 23, 2019 One day in Wirtz Basin, Kevin fell in step with a man who didnt recognize this stranger with the Cajun accent and decided to share some theories. A white supremacist? Three weeks later, Kevin stood in the Sunrise Mine Trail parking lot, shoving food into an army-style tan backpack. She asked about conditions ahead. They were surprised at how she was dressed, thermal tights under shorts and a long-sleeved shirt under a NASA tank top, but Lakoduk seemed confident, had other clothes in her pack and was moving very well they told police. We are just clearing ground, he said. Tripp, Dares and Simonseth feel differently. Dont touch anything, he says. I dont think there is a malicious bone in that guys body, he said. By 8 p.m., he was at the trail, trying to track her down. The trail register may be the last tangible piece of Sam on Vesper Peak, the last one you can physically touch, but there was one more sign of her.