Disappearance of Dennis Martin

Dennis Lloyd Martin is an American citizen who disappeared on June 14, 1969 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee at the age of six. The search effort was the most extensive in the Park's history, involving approximately 1,400 searchers and a 56-square mile area without any major leads. Disappearance: Martin, a resident of Knoxville, Tennessee, was visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park along with his father, grandfather and older brother on Father's Day weekend in 1969. They hiked from Cades Cove to Russell Field and camped overnight. The next day they hiked to Spence Field near the Appalachian Trail, where they planned to spend the night. Martin disappeared at 16:30 while playing hide-and-seek with his brother and other children; he was last seen going behind a bush to hide, intending on surprising his father at another location. After being missing for about five minutes, his family became concerned and began searching for him. After several hours, they sought help from National Park Service Rangers. Investigation: Search efforts, including a separate search by the National Guard and Special Forces found no trace. Heavy rains during the first day's search hampered efforts, and heavy mist the next day. Up to 1,400 people were involved in the search effort, potentially obscuring possible clues. Footprints were found in the area, but dismissed as being Martin's. 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, 1969. Aftermath: Martin's father offered a $5,000 USD, which is the equivalent to $33,367 in 2017 reward for information. Psychics, including Jeane Dixon, offered clues, but nothing was found. 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 of value. The unsuccessful search for Martin led the National Park Service to review and amend its policies on searches for missing people. Theories: Three main theories exist about what happened to Martin. -The first is that he became lost and perished from exposure or some other cause, likely during the first night. -The second is that he was attacked by a hungry bear (or, less likely, a feral pig) and carried off. -The third is that he was abducted and taken out of the park by a human. His father is a proponent of the third theory. On the afternoon that Martin disappeared, tourist Harold Key heard an "enormous, sickening scream" and shortly thereafter witnessed "a rough-looking man moving stealthily in the woods" before getting into a white car and driving away, lending credence to the latter theory. Park Rangers and the Federal Bureau of Investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to link the sighting to Martin's disappearance, particularly given that Key's sighting was approximately five miles away from where Martin disappeared.