The Crater Lake Pattern: Unexplained Disappearances in the Cascades

Crater Lake in Oregon has been linked to missing-person cases that often come up in Missing 411 discussions. The Crater Lake region is steep, remote, and fast-changing, and those conditions shape what happens when someone disappears and a search begins. Terrain, weather, visibility, and distance are a big reason Crater Lake keeps showing up in debates about wilderness disappearances and the patterns people think they see across U.S. national parks. If you follow unsolved missing-person cases connected to America’s parks, this is for you.

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Crater Lake sits in a rugged alpine setting in southern Oregon. For generations, people have told stories about how one should avoid that area, and since the early 1900s, the region has been connected to a long line of missing person investigations. Today we look at four cases tied to the Crater Lake National Park and its surrounding forests. So if you're drawn to cases like these, the unsolved, the unexplained, and the unanswered, you're in the right place. Welcome to the Sheldrake Files. Sammy had been diagnosed with a mild form of autism, and the trip was planned as bonding time in the mountains. Ken and Samuel drove from Portland to the Diamond Lake Resort and stayed in Cabin 62, about 10 miles north of Crater Lake and just outside the national park boundary. They spent the first night in the cabin, then decided to visit Crater Lake. They headed south on Highway 138 to the northern park entrance. They eventually made their way around the rim to the Crater Lake Lodge, where they ate lunch and played cards. After leaving the lodge, they began driving north along the eastern side of the lake. At about 4 p.m. they pulled into a parking area on the west side of the road near Cleatwood Cove. They got out of the car, and Samuel ran across the road to look at a large rock formation. He ran around a mound, went over a small crest, and disappeared over a small hill. Ken followed as fast as he could. When he reached the other side of the hill, he was facing into a wooded area and could not see Sammy. He yelled for his son and searched the immediate area. He tried to call 911, but there was no cell reception. He ran back to the roadway and flagged down two separate vehicles, asking the drivers to call 911 for assistance. Within about twenty minutes, the first park representative arrived and immediately called for additional rangers. Within hours, dozens of searchers were in the area looking for Sammy. Later that day, a storm hit the Crater Lake area and interfered with the rescue efforts. The National Park Service and nearby agencies searched for almost a month. During the search, Ken's ex-wife and Sammy's mother, Kirsten, stayed at a National Park Service cabin and monitored the activity. Ken was questioned multiple times about the events and continued to give the same account. A National Park Service report dated November 11, 2006, stated that$540,000 had been spent on the search. It described two helicopters, about 200 searchers, dog teams, 14 agencies, and the FBI participating. The report estimated a 99% probability of detection in the primary search area based on the search efforts. The only reported physical evidence was a set of footprints described as belonging to a young person with a small stride. The footprints were found on October 20, 2006 in the Grouse Hill area, moving downhill. That area was searched extensively and nothing else was found. A Jackson County Sheriff's Office report dated November 7, 2006, described a canine search near the location where the bulky vehicle was parked. The dog was expected to pick up ascent, cross the road, follow a trail, and move into the woods. But instead, the dog moved along the rock wall next to the parking lot and did not go toward the other side of the road. The dog looked toward the lake, put its front paws on the wall, and barked while staring at the water. It did that twice before the handler ended the attempt, believing the dog could not pick up a scent in that area. The National Park Service and the FBI stated they found no evidence that Samuel Bolkey was the victim of a crime. Operations then shifted from rescue to recovery. As of 2026, Samuel Bolkey has never been recovered. A news article on September 11, 2009 discussed additional training at Crater Lake National Park tied to the Bolkey case. The park's chief ranger said that there had been a significant turnover in staff and described the training as a chance to train with local partners and strengthen search and rescue cooperation at the park. After the case, a broader issue was raised regarding record keeping and missing person data across National Park Service lands. Over several years, FOIA requests were submitted over many months seeking information on missing person cases. In responses, it was stated that reports had been lost in some instances, and in others there simply was no information available. In other exchanges, it was stated that there was no maintained nationwide list of missing people in the park system, and no park by park ledger of missing person reports. When asked about compiling a list specific to Crater Lake National Park, it was said that doing so would likely require reviewing reports year by year and would be costly. The family lived in Venetta, Oregon, and had made the trip east each year. It was a family event people looked forward to. The group was on horseback herding cattle when at about 2 p.m., nine-year-old Nathan Madsen rode up to his father, Jerry, and said he was cold and heading back to camp. Nathan was riding his pony. Jerry later said he told his son to go back and assumed Nathan would follow the dirt road back to their camp. Later that evening, Jerry returned to camp and was told by his wife, Sarah, that Nathan had not returned. Jerry and others went back into the canyon and searched throughout the night. They found nothing. A call went out to law enforcement and a formal search began. Weather turned quickly after Nathan disappeared. Temperatures dropped into the twenties and snow began to fall. Search resources included the U.S. Air Force Reserve, the Klamath County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Forest Service, the Civil Air Patrol, the Oregon National Guard, smoke jumpers, tracking dogs, and volunteers. The initial search was described as a 13-square mile canyon, later expanded to more than 60 square miles. On October 26, the Klamath County Sheriff was quoted as saying it seemed like Nathan had disappeared off the face of the earth. On October 29th, the sheriff called in a homicide detective to monitor the case. Detective Mark Hannigan was told to interview everyone who had been on the cattle drive. No suspects were identified and no reason for foul play was stated at that point. During the first ten days, as many as 350 people searched for Nathan. After that, the sheriff called off the primary search, saying they had run out of places to look. Even after most official resources left, Jerry continued searching. He rode out every morning looking for signs of Nathan or the pony. Temperatures stayed below freezing and the snow was deep. On November 19, 1989, at about 2 p.m., Jerry found Nathan's pony in a large meadow at the headwaters of the Little Deschutes River. The pony had lost significant weight and was missing its saddle and blanket. Four days later, a pilot donated four hours of helicopter time to search the area where the pony was found. The helicopter flew out of Eugene to the Mount Thielson region. Nothing else was found. As the weather deteriorated, searches stopped and the family returned to Veneta. U.S. Forest Service investigators pulled wilderness permits from the time Nathan went missing and interviewed the permit holders in an effort to gather additional information. The family continued searching into early July 1990. On July 21, the family found human remains. Oregon State Police detectives hiked into the area and said the remains appeared to be those of a nine-year-old. A saddle and horse blanket were found near the remains and were described as the same ones that had been on Nathan's pony the day he disappeared. Police reported the discovery was made around 1 p.m. in the Mule Mountain drainage, about a half mile from where the pony was found and about three miles from where Nathan was last seen. The remains were sent to the Oregon State Medical Examiner's office in Portland. The coroner reported examining a skull, long arm bones, clothing, and other material. No evidence of violence was reported. The skull showed no sign of injury and the likelihood of foul play was described as remote. The official finding was death by hypothermia. A later forensic examination provided a positive identification. Robert Winters was a retired logger, a family man, and a hunter who spent decades outdoors. He and his sons, Charles, George, and Elvin, had hunted the Sparks Lake area for 20 years. Sparks Lake is about 20 miles east of Bend and about a quarter mile south of Devil's Lake, at roughly 5,400 feet of elevation. In early October 1969, the Winnerses went to Sparks Lake to set up camp for their annual deer hunt. At about 11 a.m. on October 8th, the sons last saw their father. They believed he would be hunting in the same general area they were, bounded by Soda Creek, Broken Top, Fall Creek, and their campsite at Sparks Lake. When Robert did not return by dark, the sons became concerned and began searching. As night fell, snow began to fall and intensified throughout the night. Nearly 18 inches fell in the first 24 hours after Robert disappeared. They contacted the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office and a search began immediately. The sons explained they normally hunted at a higher altitude, but the heavy snow forced them down closer to Sparks Lake. About sixty people were used in the search, according to the Sheriff's Office. A helicopter was used at one point. People on board thought they saw tracks at about 7,100 feet near Soda Creek. Those tracks were discounted because no one thought Robert would walk that high through deep snow. After five days with nothing found, the search was terminated. Nine months later, a doctor on vacation found an unusual site near Soda Creek, up around the 7,100-foot elevation where the tracks had reportedly been seen. Dr. Jack Crosby of Bend was looking for a campsite when he found a deer rifle, glasses, clothing, and other items just off the creek. Crosby notified the sheriff and deputies responded. Authorities described the location as just below the timber line in an area of large trees. They found the rifle leaning against a tree. Clothes, glasses, one boot, and one glove were stacked neatly at the base of the tree. Deputies spent three days at the site searching for additional evidence. They searched methodically and reported finding nothing else. The sheriff later said it was one of the strangest cases he had ever investigated. No blood was found on any of the items, and authorities reported finding nothing that indicated Robert Winters had died at the site. A year later, Robert's stentures were found in the same general area. Robert Winters's remains have never been found. Rocky Point sits along Highway 140 on the banks of Upper Klamath Lake, on the east side of the Sky Lakes Wilderness area in southern Oregon. That was the area Robert Ingbertson chose for a Christmas tree cutting trip with his father and his son, Derek. They drove roughly 50 miles from their home in Bonanza through forested country along the lake, reaching the Rocky Point area in the late afternoon. Derek was dressed for winter and carried a small hatchet, and there was snow on the ground as the three of them walked around looking for the right tree. At some point, Robert and his father each assumed the other was watching Derek until they realized neither had been keeping an eye on him. The search for a tree stopped and they began shouting Derek's name, then searching frantically. They flagged down a passing car and asked the driver to contact the sheriff. As they waited and searched, a storm moved in and light snowfall turned into a major storm, interfering with the response in the first hours of the search. In the early phases of the response, the conditions were severe. At 4.38 p.m., the temperature was reported at 23 degrees with heavy snowfall. By 5 p.m., no deputy was on scene, and one deputy reported being caught in a storm and requested assistance from the state police. A few minutes later, at 5.05, the sheriff requested a search and rescue response, with the search planned between Rocky Point and Mile Marker 12. At 5.30 p.m., 911 called the search and rescue team again seeking a response and was told visibility was a whiteout and the team was at its annual Christmas party. By 5.40 p.m., the state police advised that the snowmobiles were being sent out. A U.S. Forest Service officer finally arrived at Rocky Point at 6.30 p.m. and at 6.45, the sheriff requested updates over the radio as the weather continued to complicate movement and coordination. At 7 p.m., five state troopers arrived at the search location. At 7.30 p.m., the snowfall eased up a bit. By 8 25 p.m., four hours and 12 minutes after the first 911 call, an ETA for search and rescue was requested, but none was provided due to the weather and the snow conditions. At 8:45 p.m., Klamath Falls Police offered snowmobiles from a local shop owner. At 9 p.m., the first search and rescue units arrived, and by 9.30, 5 hours and 17 minutes after the initial call, 17 Klamath County search and rescue units were reported on scene. When the weather finally allowed aerial support, the Air Force sent an infrared-equipped helicopter to scan the mountainside for heat signatures, but nothing was found. Searchers continued in the following days, moving through deep snow while looking for any sign of Derek. During those efforts, several findings were reported. On a hillside well above the location where Derek disappeared, searchers found a crude shelter built from several fallen fir trees. Search dogs were brought to the shelter but did not pick up Derek's scent. On the same mountainside, searchers also found shoelaces, a torn t-shirt, and eyeglasses. Over the years, authorities interviewed dozens of people and no new information was reported about Derek's whereabouts. Some investigators believed he made it back to the highway and could have been picked up. Others believed he fell through the ice at the lake and drowned. After the official search ended, the Ingridson family spent weeks at the site searching for him. As of 2026, he has not been found. If you've got thoughts on any of these cases, go ahead and drop them in the comments, but please keep it respectful. If you'd like to see more episodes like this, go ahead and get subscribed and turn on your notifications for our channel. So thanks for tuning in, and I'll see you in the next one.