Disappearance of Dennis Martin

Dennis Lloyd Martin was a boy who vanished on June 14, 1969 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in Tennessee. The search effort was the most extensive in park history, involving 1500 searchers and a 56-square mile area. Disappearance: He was visiting the park along with his father, grandfather and older brother on Father's Day weekend. They hiked from Cades Cove to Russell Field and camped. The next day they hiked to Spence Field and planned to spend the night. He was playing hide and seek with other relatives in Spence Field, near the Appalachian Trail. He was last seen going behind a bush to hide, intending on surprising his father at another location. After being missing for about 5 minutes, they became concerned and began searching for him. After several hours, they sought help from park rangers. Investigation: Search efforts, including a separate search by the Green Berets found no trace. Heavy rains during the first day's search hampered efforts, and heavy mist the next day. Footprints were found in the area, but dismissed as being his. A shoe and sock were also found. More than a thousand searchers continued to look until June 26, when the search was cut back. The search was abandoned on June 29, after a last search. The search was officially closed down on September 14. Aftermath: His father offered a $5000 (equivalent to $32,654 in 2016) reward for information. Psychics, including Jeane Dixon, offered clues, but nothing was found. The sighting was dismissed by the FBI. A few years after, a ginseng-hunter discovered the scattered skeletal remains of a small child in Big Hollow, Tremont. He kept the find to himself until 1985 for fear of prosecution. A subsequent search turned up nothing. Theories: Three main theories exist about what happened: One is that he got lost and perished somehow, likely during the first night. Another is that he was attacked by a hungry bear and carried off. The last is that he was abducted and taken out of the park by a human. His father is a proponent of the third theory.