Something Doesn't Add Up About This Case - Peter Jackson

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Hey, there are folks in this video. We're going to
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be talking about a disappearance in Yosemite National Park. I
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always find it a bit difficult to talk about Yosemite
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cases because that park in particular is very tight lipped.
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So while there may be a lot of cases there,
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there's usually too little information, or the information we do
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have is very vague. In fact, you might see exactly
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what I mean as we go through this incident. Yosemite
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is a very large park, but it's also a park
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where a lot of people go to do some serious hiking.
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You can spend days in the wilderness without a cell
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phone signal to be had. It's not too surprising that
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people go missing there. When I travel to Yosemite in
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the summer of twenty twenty five, it was to cover
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the disappearance of Stacy Airis, which is probably the most
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well known as it relates to this particular park. I
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spent a few days in the park, and as it happened,
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I did have a little bit of time to spare well.
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I was also aware of a disappearance of a man
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named Peter Jackson, who had been camping at the White
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Wolf Campground in twenty sixteen. He vanished back then and
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hasn't been seen since. As it happened, I was camping
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very near to White Wolf, so I thought it might
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be an interesting idea to go and check this area
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out now. I wasn't sure that I would ever show
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this footage because frankly, I didn't think I would ever
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have enough information to make a solid video on this case.
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When I was in Yosemite. Essentially the only information I
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had about this case was the info that was on
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the National Park web page for Missing People in cold cases.
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So basically I was working with very little, and the
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information that was out there really kind of had me
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thinking that this was your run of the mill case,
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nothing particularly mysterious, just a tragic story of someone putting
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themselves in a bad position that leads to death. It
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happens all the time. The only thing I knew when
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I visited Yosemite was that in twenty sixteen, Peter Jackson
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was camping at the White Wolf campground in Campsite fifty eight.
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He must have left at some point and gone hiking
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when something happened and he disappeared. The only clue available
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to the public is that in twenty nineteen His backpack
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was found between Aspen Valley and Smith Peak, or in
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the Aspen Valley Akerson Meadow area. If you are someone
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like me and you plot these points out on a map,
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you might deduce that Peter Jackson had gone hiking on
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the trail that takes you west of the White Wolf campground.
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Well that's what I figured, too, So when I visited
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this area, I figured the best way to get a
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feel for how someone could disappear here would be to
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follow in their footsteps. As it happens, there is only
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one trail that heads west, so it was readily apparent
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what I need to do. Now, I'll take you through
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the timeline I experienced investigating this case and show you
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why things just stopped adding up. Peter Jackson was seventy
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four years old in September of twenty sixteen. His main
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interests included nature, hiking, and wildlife. He practiced some degree
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of Buddhism in his spiritual life and was known to
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people as a somewhat distant and nomadic individual. Friends and
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family described him as an experienced hiker who can sometimes
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go off the grid by himself. He spent most of
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his day to day life living in Mexico amongst a small,
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close knit group of retired, wealthy and intellectual friends. He
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was visiting California in September of twenty sixteen in order
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to see some family and sell property he had in California.
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He was due back in Mexico by the end of October.
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Part of this trip included a stop in Yosemite National
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Park for a little camping and hiking. Peter was not
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familiar with the area he was planning to camp in
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and had not spent much time in Yosemite already. You
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have more information than I did when I was in
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the park and hoping to investigate this case a little bit.
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So let me show you the footage I shot while
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I was there, and you can get an idea of
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the terrain and what it looks like in the granite
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filled forests of Yosemite. When I finally arrived at the
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White Wolf campground, I found it closed for the season.
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This actually turned out to be quite convenient because I
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had the entire campground to myself. I could go and
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visit the spot where Peter camped and not have to
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worry about people getting weirded out by a creepy dude.
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With a camera. I figured I could start from his
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campsite and try to retrace his steps a bit to
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better understand the ground was covering. All right, So I'm
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here at the White Wolf campground. I am just leaving
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Site fifty eight, which is behind me. That is the
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site that Peter Jackson was camped at. He left most
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of his gear there, but he did take a backpack
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as he went on one of these trails, most likely
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the trail towards Hardened Lake I think is that takes
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you towards Smith Peak. And all I know at this moment,
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because I haven't got records because you know, Semity is
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kind of hoarding them a little bit, is that his
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backpack was found somewhere between essentially here and Smith Peak,
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which is quite a bit of terrain. But there is
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a trail heading in that exact direction, so it would
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stand to reason that he took that trail. There's only
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really two trails out of this area, one towards Luken's Lake.
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Almost positive he didn't take that one. Seems like he
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was just going for a day hike, wasn't anything too serious,
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but that's how these things usually end in tragedy. But
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he was heading out this way undoubtedly left his campsite.
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His campsite was unattended for multiple days, and that's when
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rangers started getting the idea that maybe something was a
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miss because he should have checked out. Looks like he
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must have gone down this trail towards Harden's or Smith
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Peak go in the same kind of direction, it looks like,
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so I'm gonna start heading down that way just to
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check it out, to see if I can make any
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sense of how someone could have gotten lost out here
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and never be found. And again, his backpack was found
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three years after he disappeared roughly, so he must have
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gotten off trail pretty good. And I wish I knew
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exactly where his backpack was found, but again, really I
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just got the most general information on this case right now,
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and I'm kind of hoping by the time I actually
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released this video I have a lot more details, but
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right now I'm really limited on what I know. So,
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his backpack was found somewhere between here and Smith Peak.
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It's a large area, but there is a trail in
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that direction, so let's go check it out. So at
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least the first part of this trail is pretty much
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just a gravel road, to get to it, you have
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to go through a ranger station and residence area that
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clearly no one is at right now. And this whole
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area seems to be closed down right now. And the
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rangers area and residential area over there is just completely destroyed.
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Everything is looking really run down. It's clear no one's
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been there for a minute. So I understand why this
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place isn't open right now, even though it's mid July.
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So I'm just heading down the gravel road here, and
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I'm going to see what or when it turns into
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a trail, because I gotta imagine it does. Now. First
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I should hit Harden's Lake and past that would be
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Smith Peak, but that's quite a bit further, probably not
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going out that far. But I'm just trying to figure
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out someone came out here, what would drive them off trail?
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And if you were off trail, how hard would it
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be to find your way back? And again, as always,
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I don't just do this willy nilly. I got a
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GPS and I always carry a personal locator beacon, so
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I'm prepared for this little endeavor. So let's keep doing
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one thing I'm already noticing, just a short while into
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this hike is that it's a very beautiful place and
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it's very secluded. You know, Yosemite is always packed with people,
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it seems like no matter where you go, and I
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haven't seen anyone heading down this trail or on the trail,
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and it's a really beautiful place. Kind of interesting, you know,
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I'm so used to running into people all over the
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place here, But I'm also considering that since it's so
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beautiful out here, you know, you always get the temptation
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to kind of go off trail a bit, because you
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see a lot of a lot of places that looks
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like they would be fun to go climbing up a
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rock here to get a better view of the creek,
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this kind of thing. So the temptation to go off
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trail is real, and it happens to people. And I'm
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already wondering if that got the better of Peter in
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this situation, and maybe he's strayed a little too far,
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but we'll see. One thing to always keep in mind
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about Yosemite is that there are a lot of bears here,
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and so when you start walking around out on secluded trails,
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there is always a chance you're going to run into one. Now,
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if that happened to Peter, you know, or some people,
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they might just start running away. They might get off
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trail and head out into the forest to try and
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get away. That's a good way to get lost. Understandable
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as well in some sense, because obviously no one wants
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to really encounter a bear up close. But it's one
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of those things that's always worth considering. It can especially
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happen at Yosemite, but pretty much any place where there
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are bears, you know, did wildlife force someone off a
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trail and then they got lost and then they haven't
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been found again. It would be really helpful to know
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exactly where his backpack was found, but I don't have
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that info right now. It would give me a much
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better idea of where he could have gone. But it's
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interesting to note that they found his backpack and apparently
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no remains. Now. Of course, it's three years later, so
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scavengers probably got to the body and probably bears in fact,
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and they probably scattered his remains took it off somewhere
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who knows. So finding the body was probably much less
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likely than finding the backpack. But obviously there should still
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be some bones and boots and stuff out here at
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this point, but where they would be and where he
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would have gone off trail, that's kind of the mystery.
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A lot of people go missing in Yosemite, a lot
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of them are never found. It's a gigantic park, lots
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of granite in this area, lots of boulder fields. I
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think we all know what that means. People are going
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to go missing. You know, I gotta say, there is
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nothing in this area that I can see that would
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you know, makes sense, Like, you know, the trail being
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I don't know, not obvious in some areas, or the
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trail is very obvious. So then it just comes down
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to the two questions of did something force him off
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trail or did he intentionally go off trail because he
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wanted to check out some of the cool things around here,
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Because he could have gone off trail intentionally and got
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himself lost. And then, of course, as I mentioned earlier,
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the possibility that he was pushed off the trail by
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an animal, more than likely a bear, but you know
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the bears here. Bear attacks aren't that common, especially because
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they're black bears, which far less dangerous than brown but
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still some people's reaction to them, you know, obviously it's
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fear because you know, bears are a predator though you know,
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black bears like beerries and things, you know, But still
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so it's always possible. You know, you're walking along and
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you see a black bear and you just decide to
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start moving the other way, which is not bad advice,
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so I might suggest me and some noise. Still, it's
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something to think about when it comes to his disappearance,
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because I think something had to have pushed him off trail,
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whether it was his own accord or something else pushed
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him off a bit of a high altitude here, I
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think we're near eight thousand feet, though I've been spending
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a lot of time at this altitude lately, so I'm
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not as winded as I usually would be going uphill.
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You know, one other thought has occurred to me while
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I was walking and thinking here, and that is he
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was a bit of an older fella, and of course
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there is always the possibility that he had some sort
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of you know, health issue. I mean, obviously he was
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supposed to be in good health, and everyone knew him
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to be a pretty good camp or hiker and all that.
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But sometimes, you know, especially at higher altitude, sometimes things happen,
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you know, you never know heart attack whatever can occur
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to even young people, so that's always another factor. But
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then you would assume his backpack would be near the trail,
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his body would might have been taken by scavengers, especially
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if people weren't really going through this area too much.
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But I guess, more than anything else, it seems like
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something drove him off trail at this point, because usually
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if the body is close to a trail and you
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have some sort of health ailment, they'll find you pretty
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quick during the search and rescue, you would hope. So
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it seems like he must have wandered off or been
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forced off. I think I'm going to be a I
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think I'm gonna have to land on one of those
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two theories as it comes to this case. So well,
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in conclusion on this case, I would say, given that
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we know his backpack was found somewhere between the start
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of the trail and Smith's Peak, which everything about this
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case seems to assume that he was just going for
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a short day hike, because he left all of his
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camp and equipment set up at the White Wolf campground
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obviously intended to come back. I don't think he ever
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intended to go out to Smith Peak. And then come back.
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That would be a very long hike. He probably just
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intended to go out to Harden Lake and come back,
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00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:56.000
which would be I don't know, probably something around four
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or five miles, much more doable. Yeah, so just a
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simple day hike, presumably, And you never know. He could
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have gone off trail to eat his lunch. Maybe he
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saw a good overlook point somewhere and thought he wanted
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to go to it. Any number of things could happen
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that could cause you to get lost out here. That's
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why it's great to bring a GPS, and that's why
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it's great to have a personal locator beacon as well.
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Obviously he probably was a little ill equipped. So that's
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kind of where I'm at with this. After filming on
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location near White Wolf, I pretty much forgot about this
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case altogether. I did request the records for his disappearance
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from the NPS, but I was confident that nothing would
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come of it. Peter's case is still open, as he's
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still missing, and Yosemite is notoriously difficult when it comes
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to transparency. Basically, all indications were that I'd never end
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up talking about this case or showing the footage that
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I just did. Based on the limited info I had,
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00:20:46.839 --> 00:20:49.200
it seemed like any number of things could have happened
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to Peter. He could have gone off grid and gotten
271
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lost or had a medical event. He could have encountered
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a mountain lion or bear and gone off trail to
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get out of its way and then become lost. Who
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00:21:00.720 --> 00:21:05.279
knows really, And then the unthinkable happened. Yosemite decided to
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give me Peter's case file. So, Yosemite, I will never
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speak quite so harshly about you ever again, I promise. Obviously,
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when this kind of thing happens, we start to learn
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a lot more. So I will waste no time in
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00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:23.119
presenting you with the most interesting bits of information turned
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up by investigators. But I will also encourage you to
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pay close attention. Keep what you already know about this
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case in mind. Sure we don't know much, but still
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00:21:33.279 --> 00:21:36.440
keep it in mind as I cover this information. Let's
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begin with the timeline. Peter Jackson left Mexico and drove
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to Sacramento to camp near Fort Bragg on September tenth,
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00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:48.039
twenty sixteen. After camping there, he planned a camp at
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00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:51.519
Yosemite National Park and then drive to San Diego to
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visit his son. On September twenty third, Peter drove to
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00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:58.599
Sacramento with an unnamed male friend who was dropped off.
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00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:03.880
Around thirteenth or fourteenth, Peter spoke with someone via telephone.
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He was said to be in good spirits and was
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enjoying his camping trip. During this time, he was presumably alone.
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On September seventeenth, Peter sent a text message saying that
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he had left the campsite at Fort Bragg and was
295
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on his way to Yosemite National Park. In the text,
296
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he mentioned using the back roads to get to the campsite.
297
00:22:24.119 --> 00:22:27.759
This was the last contact he had with anyone. On
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September twenty seventh, twenty sixteen, at around eight am, a
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ranger was assigned to investigate the whereabouts of Peter Jackson.
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He learned that the day prior, September twenty sixth, a
301
00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:41.960
ranger was preparing to close the White Wolf Campground for
302
00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:44.640
the rest of the season. A park visitor who was
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camping at Site fifty nine reported to a ranger and
304
00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:51.359
a campground host that they had not seen anybody at
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00:22:51.400 --> 00:22:55.799
their neighboring campsite, which was Site fifty eight. This visitor
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00:22:55.839 --> 00:22:59.480
had arrived several days earlier, and since that time nobody
307
00:22:59.519 --> 00:23:02.759
had been at Site fifty eight, despite a car, tent
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00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:06.359
and gear being there. The campground host had checked and
309
00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:09.519
discovered that Site fifty eight had been unpaid for the
310
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night of September twenty second, despite the fact that Peter
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00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:16.160
was supposed to check out on the twentieth. The host
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00:23:16.200 --> 00:23:19.839
put a warning slip on Peter's vehicle on September twenty second.
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The campground host then took a day off on the
314
00:23:22.759 --> 00:23:25.720
twenty third, and when they returned on the twenty fourth,
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00:23:25.960 --> 00:23:29.160
they discovered that nothing had changed at Site fifty eight.
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They wrote out another warning slip and left it at
317
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the site. When a ranger went to check Site fifty
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eight on September twenty seventh, they found a twenty fifteen
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00:23:38.960 --> 00:23:43.359
Silver Subaru outback with California plates. They found two warning
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00:23:43.480 --> 00:23:46.440
flyers attached to the vehicle. One was written on the
321
00:23:46.440 --> 00:23:49.319
twenty second and the other on the twenty fourth. There
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00:23:49.359 --> 00:23:52.799
was also an orange, white and red RII half domed
323
00:23:52.839 --> 00:23:57.079
tent with sleeping gears still inside. The campground bare box
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00:23:57.240 --> 00:23:59.279
was opened and there was a fair amount of food
325
00:23:59.319 --> 00:24:02.200
in there, some of it was spoiled. There was no
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00:24:02.240 --> 00:24:06.200
evidence of the campsite occupant anywhere in the area now
327
00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:09.440
as it happens. On the day prior September twenty sixth,
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00:24:09.799 --> 00:24:12.799
Peter Jackson's son made a missing person's report with the
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00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:16.119
Roseville Police Department after Peter failed to meet up with
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00:24:16.200 --> 00:24:19.240
him on September twenty three. This was a plan they
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00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:23.319
had previously agreed upon. Roseville PD added Peter as a
332
00:24:23.319 --> 00:24:28.039
missing person through their NCIC and later contacted Yosemite to
333
00:24:28.119 --> 00:24:31.680
inform them that Peter was missing. It appears that rangers
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00:24:31.720 --> 00:24:35.839
briefly interviewed Peter's son, but he had limited information. He
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00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:39.240
received a text from him on September seventeenth indicating that
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00:24:39.279 --> 00:24:42.279
he was going to Yosemite National Park and that was
337
00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:47.279
pretty much it. He had no information on Peter's gear, itinerary, clothing,
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00:24:47.400 --> 00:24:50.640
or anything else. Rangers did a check for any campground
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00:24:50.680 --> 00:24:55.359
reservations or wilderness permits under Peter's name, but they found none.
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00:24:55.720 --> 00:24:59.799
Searching for additional clues, rangers entered Peter's vehicle and found
341
00:24:59.799 --> 00:25:02.799
a fe a few items of interest, including an iPhone,
342
00:25:02.880 --> 00:25:06.440
an iPad, and a receipt from the Yosemite Village store
343
00:25:06.799 --> 00:25:10.319
for the purchase of a royal blue Outdoor Products Traverse
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00:25:10.440 --> 00:25:14.160
eight point zero day pack. This backpack was not found
345
00:25:14.160 --> 00:25:18.440
amongst Peter's things. The cell phone and iPad were briefly searched,
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00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:22.880
but nothing of evidentiary value was found. Later, they learned
347
00:25:22.920 --> 00:25:25.559
that the phone found in the vehicle was not Peter's
348
00:25:25.559 --> 00:25:29.000
current cell phone, which was different color. That phone was
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00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:31.920
not found amongst the items at the camp site. One
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00:25:31.960 --> 00:25:35.480
of Peter's friends contacted rangers about the situation, and he
351
00:25:35.559 --> 00:25:39.359
said that he lives near Peter, just north of Puerto Vireta, Mexico,
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00:25:39.799 --> 00:25:42.599
and that they entered the US on September seventh and
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00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:46.559
traveled to Roseville, California together. The friend said that he
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00:25:46.680 --> 00:25:50.200
last saw Peter on September seventeenth, and Peter planned to
355
00:25:50.319 --> 00:25:54.000
enter Yosemite via the East Entrance and then camp away
356
00:25:54.039 --> 00:25:57.519
from the busy Yosemite Valley. Peter wanted to avoid a
357
00:25:57.519 --> 00:25:59.799
lot of people. He told his friend that he wanted
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00:25:59.799 --> 00:26:03.160
to go someplace where his cell phone wouldn't work. Peter's
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00:26:03.160 --> 00:26:06.039
friend thought that Peter was a poor navigator who could
360
00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:09.079
get easily lost, but that he was also in pretty
361
00:26:09.079 --> 00:26:12.839
good health. During the ground search, many items were found,
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00:26:12.920 --> 00:26:15.640
but with little knowledge of the gear that Peter had,
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00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:19.079
it was impossible to know if the finds held any relevance.
364
00:26:19.559 --> 00:26:23.079
One larger find came on September twenty ninth, when searchers
365
00:26:23.119 --> 00:26:25.759
found a pair of hiking poles in half Moon Meadow.
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00:26:26.200 --> 00:26:28.640
It appeared that the poles could have been abandoned long
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00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:32.480
before September nineteenth due to the amount of grass around them.
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00:26:32.799 --> 00:26:35.519
Rangers contacted two witnesses to see if they could get
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00:26:35.559 --> 00:26:38.640
a description of the poles, and they were given conflicting
370
00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:41.599
descriptions as it relates to the color, but the two
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00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:44.680
both stated that the poles were newer looking. They were
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00:26:44.720 --> 00:26:49.200
logged in as evidence regardless. On October first, twenty sixteen,
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the field search for Peter Jackson was suspended after finding
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00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:56.359
no leads or information that could potentially drive the ground search.
375
00:26:56.880 --> 00:27:00.000
During the search period, bad weather like snow and rain
376
00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:04.240
continually hampered efforts. I know I didn't cover many details
377
00:27:04.279 --> 00:27:06.880
of the search efforts, but they didn't really supply me
378
00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:10.319
with many The search was relatively short and there weren't
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00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:12.599
a lot of people on the ground either. By the
380
00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:15.319
looks of it, it was a pretty limited search effort.
381
00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:18.759
It didn't make big headlines and Peter Jackson just became
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00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:22.440
another name on a list. A number of interviews were
383
00:27:22.480 --> 00:27:27.000
conducted throughout the investigation into Peter's disappearance. Rangers made a
384
00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:29.759
good effort to contact everybody who stayed at the White
385
00:27:29.799 --> 00:27:33.440
Wolf Campground and everyone who had a wilderness permit during
386
00:27:33.480 --> 00:27:36.359
the time Peter was within the park. The goal was
387
00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:38.440
to find anyone who had seen him and at the
388
00:27:38.559 --> 00:27:41.119
very least supply a description of what he was wearing
389
00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:44.720
and what gear he was carrying. In a second, I'm
390
00:27:44.759 --> 00:27:47.880
going to go over three interviews that have relevance or
391
00:27:47.920 --> 00:27:51.960
at least potential relevance. The first two interviews are from
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00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:54.240
two men who were part of a group that was
393
00:27:54.319 --> 00:27:57.880
hiking in the region where Peter Jackson disappeared. The third
394
00:27:57.920 --> 00:28:01.119
interview is with a staff member at the White Wolf Lodge.
395
00:28:01.519 --> 00:28:05.119
On September twenty seventh, a telephone interview was conducted with
396
00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:09.319
a potential witness. Their name has been redacted. They stated
397
00:28:09.319 --> 00:28:11.480
that they were staying with others at the White Wolf
398
00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:15.720
Campground between September nineteenth and the twenty first. They also
399
00:28:15.759 --> 00:28:18.359
had a wilderness permit because their goal was to do
400
00:28:18.400 --> 00:28:21.480
a three day, two night hike from the White Wolf
401
00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:25.039
Campground to Ten Lakes and then returned to the campground.
402
00:28:25.279 --> 00:28:28.160
The witness remembered meeting a group of three people on
403
00:28:28.200 --> 00:28:32.400
the Ten Lakes Trail on September nineteenth. This meeting occurred
404
00:28:32.440 --> 00:28:35.839
north of the White Wolf Ten Lakes junction, but south
405
00:28:35.880 --> 00:28:39.079
of half Moon Meadow. The party of three consisted of
406
00:28:39.119 --> 00:28:42.799
three white males with ages ranging between forty and fifty.
407
00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:45.759
The group stated that they had camped at Ten Lakes
408
00:28:45.799 --> 00:28:48.920
for three nights, and they were all carrying large packs
409
00:28:48.920 --> 00:28:53.440
and hiking poles. Their stated destination was Tioga Road. The
410
00:28:53.480 --> 00:28:56.599
witness felt that the three men had California accents and
411
00:28:56.680 --> 00:29:00.480
seemed to be familiar with the Yosemite area. Asked, the
412
00:29:00.519 --> 00:29:03.640
witness did not recall that this three person party mentioned
413
00:29:03.680 --> 00:29:06.759
seeing anyone else on the trail. After being pressed a
414
00:29:06.759 --> 00:29:10.200
little by the interviewing ranger, the witness said he vaguely
415
00:29:10.279 --> 00:29:13.359
recalled them saying they had seen a lone hiker, but
416
00:29:13.440 --> 00:29:17.039
he wasn't sure. As the witness continued on with their story,
417
00:29:17.359 --> 00:29:20.599
they recounted how they eventually ran into a single hiker
418
00:29:20.640 --> 00:29:23.640
near the top of the switchbacks between half Moon Meadow
419
00:29:23.920 --> 00:29:27.160
and Grant Lakes. The lone man was wearing a hat
420
00:29:27.240 --> 00:29:30.319
and carrying a blue day pack. The witness did not
421
00:29:30.440 --> 00:29:33.039
recall this man saying where he was going or where
422
00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:35.440
he was coming from, and he was not sure if
423
00:29:35.480 --> 00:29:38.279
he resembled the photo of Peter Jackson from the missing
424
00:29:38.319 --> 00:29:42.839
Person's flyer. The ranger then ended that interview and called
425
00:29:42.920 --> 00:29:45.519
up another member of the same group to get his
426
00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:49.400
side of the story and his descriptions. His version matched
427
00:29:49.480 --> 00:29:51.720
up with that of his companion. He said it was
428
00:29:51.759 --> 00:29:54.680
a three day, two night hiking trip. He said they
429
00:29:54.720 --> 00:29:57.400
first encountered the group of three white males on their
430
00:29:57.440 --> 00:30:01.000
way to Ten Lakes. This witness did I recall this party,
431
00:30:01.079 --> 00:30:03.880
mentioning a lone day hiker who had entered at White
432
00:30:03.920 --> 00:30:06.559
Wolf and said that they would probably see him later
433
00:30:06.640 --> 00:30:09.279
on the trail. This witness said that he and his
434
00:30:09.359 --> 00:30:12.400
group had lunch at half Moon Meadow and then started
435
00:30:12.480 --> 00:30:15.720
up the switchbacks to the north. While on the switchbacks,
436
00:30:15.759 --> 00:30:19.039
they encountered the lone hiker. This witness said that the
437
00:30:19.079 --> 00:30:22.119
lone hiker was heading south as though he were coming
438
00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:25.519
from Ten Lakes. This witness also said that the lone
439
00:30:25.519 --> 00:30:29.440
man resembled Peter Jackson, describing him as the same age
440
00:30:29.480 --> 00:30:31.960
with a short beard. He said that the man had
441
00:30:31.960 --> 00:30:34.960
a sun hat, hiking poles, and a bright blue day
442
00:30:35.039 --> 00:30:39.079
pack the same color as Peter's. The witness didn't recall
443
00:30:39.119 --> 00:30:42.440
what the lone hiker's clothing looked like, but stated that
444
00:30:42.519 --> 00:30:45.640
he knew the man came from White Wolf. This witness
445
00:30:45.680 --> 00:30:48.319
was able to identify the spot where they encountered the
446
00:30:48.359 --> 00:30:52.079
lone man, and he pointed to a location approximately halfway
447
00:30:52.160 --> 00:30:56.519
up the switchbacks leaving Half Moon Meadow. On September twenty eighth,
448
00:30:56.640 --> 00:30:59.119
A witness who worked at the White Wolf Lodge was
449
00:30:59.160 --> 00:31:03.599
interviewed by This individual said that on September twenty first,
450
00:31:04.039 --> 00:31:06.359
he saw a person whom he believed to be Peter
451
00:31:06.519 --> 00:31:09.920
Jackson just before noon. He remembers the man wearing a
452
00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:14.119
dark blue windbreaker and a possibly green backpack, along with
453
00:31:14.240 --> 00:31:18.240
tan shorts, a floppy hiker's hat, boots, and high socks.
454
00:31:18.759 --> 00:31:21.200
He said the man was standing near the lodge and
455
00:31:21.319 --> 00:31:24.799
looking at a bus schedule. This was the only information
456
00:31:24.920 --> 00:31:28.440
that the witness was able to provide. Rangers compiled a
457
00:31:28.519 --> 00:31:31.000
list of items that were the best evidence in the
458
00:31:31.039 --> 00:31:34.720
disappearance of Peter Jackson. Some on this list are more
459
00:31:34.759 --> 00:31:38.680
relevant than others. The first, and obviously most valuable, was
460
00:31:38.720 --> 00:31:42.240
the sighting by the Ten Lakes backpackers. They encountered a
461
00:31:42.279 --> 00:31:45.440
man who matched Peter's description heading back towards the White
462
00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:49.599
Wolf Campground after visiting the Ten Lakes area. This sighting
463
00:31:49.680 --> 00:31:53.559
occurred at roughly three pm on September nineteenth, the day
464
00:31:53.640 --> 00:31:56.599
before Peter Jackson was due to leave the park. There
465
00:31:56.640 --> 00:31:59.720
was also the campground host who stated that Peter looked
466
00:31:59.720 --> 00:32:03.680
familar to her, but there was nothing outstanding regarding his stay.
467
00:32:04.200 --> 00:32:07.519
According to her notes, Campsite fifty eight was vacant on
468
00:32:07.599 --> 00:32:10.960
the evening of September eighteenth, when she did her rounds,
469
00:32:11.359 --> 00:32:14.039
she noticed that Peter's stuff was there. On the evening
470
00:32:14.079 --> 00:32:17.799
of September nineteenth, the same day she believed she saw him,
471
00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:21.279
though she doesn't specify a time. She took two days
472
00:32:21.319 --> 00:32:23.319
off after that, and when she came back on the
473
00:32:23.359 --> 00:32:26.839
twenty second, Peter's stuff was still there. It was at
474
00:32:26.839 --> 00:32:30.519
this point that she started writing warning slips. There was
475
00:32:30.559 --> 00:32:33.440
also a gas station cashier who claimed to see Peter
476
00:32:33.599 --> 00:32:35.880
at her store, though she doesn't give a day to
477
00:32:35.920 --> 00:32:37.880
or a time, She didn't know if he was in
478
00:32:37.920 --> 00:32:41.039
a vehicle or not. And saw him wearing a floppy hat.
479
00:32:41.279 --> 00:32:44.079
She had heard him talking about hiking a certain trail,
480
00:32:44.160 --> 00:32:47.799
but she didn't know where. Lastly, there was the staff
481
00:32:47.839 --> 00:32:50.400
member from the White Wolf Lodge who was ninety five
482
00:32:50.480 --> 00:32:54.119
percent sure they saw Peter Jackson wandering around at eight
483
00:32:54.279 --> 00:32:58.119
thirty am on September twentieth or the twenty first. They
484
00:32:58.160 --> 00:33:01.359
describe him as having a green back with some miles
485
00:33:01.400 --> 00:33:05.319
on it. This would contradict known information about Peter, who
486
00:33:05.319 --> 00:33:09.079
had just purchased a blue backpack from Yosemite Village. This
487
00:33:09.160 --> 00:33:12.640
is the end of relevant information within the NPS report
488
00:33:12.960 --> 00:33:16.319
on the disappearance of Peter Jackson. He is still missing
489
00:33:16.440 --> 00:33:19.319
and his case is still open to this day. If
490
00:33:19.359 --> 00:33:22.160
you've been paying close attention, you might have noticed that
491
00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:25.960
some things don't add up about this. You have Peter Jackson,
492
00:33:26.119 --> 00:33:29.160
he's camping and hiking out of the White Wolf Campground,
493
00:33:29.480 --> 00:33:32.720
and he's scheduled to leave on the morning of September twentieth.
494
00:33:33.200 --> 00:33:36.319
The last time he has seen is on September nineteenth,
495
00:33:36.599 --> 00:33:39.839
while hiking back from Ten Lakes and heading to the
496
00:33:39.839 --> 00:33:43.160
White Wolf Campground, when he was encountered on the trail.
497
00:33:43.519 --> 00:33:46.359
Witnesses said he appeared to be in good condition, and
498
00:33:46.440 --> 00:33:48.440
he spoke to them for only a couple of minutes
499
00:33:48.480 --> 00:33:51.839
before moving on. That alone is not the odd part.
500
00:33:52.279 --> 00:33:55.759
The strange thing is the park report never mentions that
501
00:33:55.799 --> 00:33:59.119
Peter Jackson's backpack was ever found. But if you go
502
00:33:59.200 --> 00:34:02.559
on the NPS website, right there on the page describing
503
00:34:02.640 --> 00:34:05.599
cold cases, they state that his backpack was found in
504
00:34:05.680 --> 00:34:09.079
August of twenty nineteen, and they are very vague about
505
00:34:09.079 --> 00:34:12.360
the location. I mean, they could give the coordinates if
506
00:34:12.400 --> 00:34:15.760
they really wanted to, but instead they basically just target
507
00:34:15.800 --> 00:34:19.280
a rather large area of land. But this region is
508
00:34:19.320 --> 00:34:22.760
not where Peter was last seen. If you're Peter Jackson
509
00:34:22.840 --> 00:34:25.599
and it's three PM and you've been hiking all day,
510
00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:28.599
by the time you get back to the White Wolf campground,
511
00:34:28.880 --> 00:34:31.360
your day hike would be over. It would be too
512
00:34:31.400 --> 00:34:34.719
late to tackle anything else. The Ten Lakes Trail would
513
00:34:34.760 --> 00:34:37.360
have taken him right back to the campground, and there
514
00:34:37.360 --> 00:34:39.480
would be no reason for him to start doing a
515
00:34:39.599 --> 00:34:42.920
rather long journey out to Harden Lake or the hetch
516
00:34:43.000 --> 00:34:46.280
Hetchy Reservoir. But let's take a pause for a second.
517
00:34:46.719 --> 00:34:49.719
The first question we need to ask is why wasn't
518
00:34:49.719 --> 00:34:52.760
there any mention of Peter's backpack being found in the
519
00:34:52.880 --> 00:34:56.639
NPS report. I thought that was rather odd, so I
520
00:34:56.719 --> 00:34:59.639
contacted the NPS about this. I told them that I
521
00:34:59.679 --> 00:35:02.159
had read the case file many times and there was
522
00:35:02.239 --> 00:35:05.239
no mention of the backpack, despite the fact that the
523
00:35:05.280 --> 00:35:09.840
backpack is mentioned on the NPS website. The initial response was,
524
00:35:10.239 --> 00:35:12.800
we should have given you everything in the case file,
525
00:35:12.840 --> 00:35:15.679
but we'll check on that. Then they sent me another
526
00:35:15.719 --> 00:35:19.519
email saying they did not redact any physical evidence that
527
00:35:19.639 --> 00:35:23.159
was collected. Well, that's really great news, but it also
528
00:35:23.239 --> 00:35:26.880
looks really bad. Shouldn't they have information on this critically
529
00:35:26.960 --> 00:35:30.039
important find in the case. Then they got back to
530
00:35:30.079 --> 00:35:32.280
me a third time and said they spoke with an
531
00:35:32.280 --> 00:35:35.679
investigator about my follow up questions and that this was
532
00:35:35.719 --> 00:35:38.800
still an open case and any other records they may
533
00:35:38.920 --> 00:35:42.599
hold are exempt under seven A, which is the classic
534
00:35:42.960 --> 00:35:46.280
we won't give you these records because therefore possible law
535
00:35:46.360 --> 00:35:50.000
enforcement proceedings. I did have to ask a final question,
536
00:35:50.119 --> 00:35:52.800
because it didn't make much sense that they would make
537
00:35:52.840 --> 00:35:56.400
the discovery of the backpack public but exempt it from
538
00:35:56.400 --> 00:35:59.760
the case file. The final response they gave me simply
539
00:35:59.800 --> 00:36:03.360
said that if the NPS website said the backpack was found,
540
00:36:03.679 --> 00:36:06.440
then they are sure that it is accurate, and any
541
00:36:06.519 --> 00:36:09.440
records they may have about it are not, for my eyes,
542
00:36:10.079 --> 00:36:14.679
fair enough. But that certainly raises more questions. Suddenly. I'm
543
00:36:14.679 --> 00:36:17.239
thinking a story that could have originally just been a
544
00:36:17.280 --> 00:36:20.760
tale of misadventure might now be something like foul play.
545
00:36:21.280 --> 00:36:25.320
Because the NPS is basically saying everything about this story
546
00:36:25.400 --> 00:36:28.719
is just normal missing person stuff up to a point.
547
00:36:29.239 --> 00:36:32.280
Something about the discovery of the backpack must have changed
548
00:36:32.320 --> 00:36:34.840
their outlook on the case. And we don't know much
549
00:36:34.840 --> 00:36:37.760
of anything about the backpack other than that it was
550
00:36:37.880 --> 00:36:40.880
found and a general location of where it was found.
551
00:36:41.400 --> 00:36:44.079
Something does seem a little off about all of this.
552
00:36:44.559 --> 00:36:47.320
I mean, Peter Jackson spent all day of the nineteenth
553
00:36:47.440 --> 00:36:51.400
hiking in areas east of the White Wolf campground. Witnesses
554
00:36:51.440 --> 00:36:54.159
saw him there in the afternoon. We know that something
555
00:36:54.239 --> 00:36:56.400
must have happened to him on this day because he
556
00:36:56.480 --> 00:36:59.280
was supposed to leave the next morning. But why would
557
00:36:59.320 --> 00:37:02.719
his gear, his whole backpack be found in a remote
558
00:37:02.760 --> 00:37:06.199
location deep to the west of White Wolf. I mean,
559
00:37:06.519 --> 00:37:09.320
that area really has no trails, so how did his
560
00:37:09.360 --> 00:37:12.000
backpack get there? This is why it's a shame that
561
00:37:12.039 --> 00:37:15.119
they won't release any information or photos about it. They
562
00:37:15.159 --> 00:37:18.400
gave me a whole plethora of photographs, and none were
563
00:37:18.440 --> 00:37:22.039
of that backpack. If the backpack was mauled and chewed,
564
00:37:22.079 --> 00:37:24.199
we could at least deduce that an animal might have
565
00:37:24.239 --> 00:37:27.320
brought it out there. Either way, these kinds of fines
566
00:37:27.360 --> 00:37:30.760
always impressed me. The assumption I'm having with the limited
567
00:37:30.800 --> 00:37:33.880
information that we do is that someone must have been
568
00:37:33.960 --> 00:37:36.559
hiking well off the beaten path to stumble on this
569
00:37:36.639 --> 00:37:40.360
backpack in the first place. Even if Peter Jackson's backpack
570
00:37:40.559 --> 00:37:43.119
was chewed up, it wouldn't be enough to deduce that
571
00:37:43.199 --> 00:37:45.920
he died from an animal attack. As far as I
572
00:37:45.920 --> 00:37:49.239
can tell, nobody has ever been killed or seriously mauled
573
00:37:49.280 --> 00:37:52.000
by a bear in that park. You also have mountain
574
00:37:52.039 --> 00:37:55.920
lions and coyotes, some pretty reclusive animals. I wouldn't be
575
00:37:55.960 --> 00:37:58.480
surprised at all if they find and drag off gear
576
00:37:58.519 --> 00:38:02.079
in the park. Photo attached to this case there is
577
00:38:02.119 --> 00:38:04.960
an image of a Nalgene water bottle that was found
578
00:38:05.039 --> 00:38:07.840
during the search. You can clearly see that something with
579
00:38:08.079 --> 00:38:11.119
jaws got to it and was chewing on it. There's
580
00:38:11.159 --> 00:38:14.760
some clear punctures in the plastic. There again, The problem
581
00:38:14.800 --> 00:38:17.239
with all the items found during the search is that
582
00:38:17.280 --> 00:38:20.000
we don't know what Peter had with him aside from
583
00:38:20.079 --> 00:38:22.960
that new blue backpack he bought, So we don't know
584
00:38:23.000 --> 00:38:26.199
if anything on this list holds any relevance to Peter,
585
00:38:26.760 --> 00:38:29.800
although we can probably be sure that the women's underwear
586
00:38:29.920 --> 00:38:33.280
wasn't his. So I have no idea what's going on
587
00:38:33.360 --> 00:38:35.639
in this case, But the more I've looked into it,
588
00:38:35.719 --> 00:38:38.880
the more my theories have changed. Is it possible that
589
00:38:38.960 --> 00:38:41.679
Peter got back to the White Wolf campground in the
590
00:38:41.760 --> 00:38:46.280
late afternoon or early evening on September nineteenth and then
591
00:38:46.440 --> 00:38:49.920
decided to do another long hike out to the west. Sure,
592
00:38:50.039 --> 00:38:52.920
I can't rule it out completely, but he was only
593
00:38:52.960 --> 00:38:56.039
prepared for a day hike, and he had already been
594
00:38:56.119 --> 00:38:59.199
hiking all day, and he was due to leave the
595
00:38:59.239 --> 00:39:02.519
next morning. So everything is pointing in the direction of
596
00:39:02.599 --> 00:39:05.440
him not trying to do another hike to the west
597
00:39:05.480 --> 00:39:08.920
of White Wolf, and yet his backpack was found in
598
00:39:08.960 --> 00:39:12.679
a remote location to the west of White Wolf. It
599
00:39:12.719 --> 00:39:16.239
also seems like the NPS is keeping this evidence rather
600
00:39:16.320 --> 00:39:18.880
close to their chest, and if they're willing to give
601
00:39:18.920 --> 00:39:21.679
me everything else, I can only think that there must
602
00:39:21.679 --> 00:39:24.920
be something about the backpack that made the NPS start
603
00:39:25.000 --> 00:39:28.159
thinking there was foul play. Again, I could be wrong.
604
00:39:28.519 --> 00:39:32.599
I'm making assumptions. The NPS did use the classic exemption
605
00:39:32.800 --> 00:39:36.239
seven A, So in essence, they're saying, we can't give
606
00:39:36.280 --> 00:39:39.000
you the backpack information because it could be used for
607
00:39:39.079 --> 00:39:42.719
law enforcement proceedings. Normally, I would say that the use
608
00:39:42.760 --> 00:39:47.039
of exemption seven A doesn't necessarily indicate foul play. I've
609
00:39:47.079 --> 00:39:50.960
met this exemption many times before, and sometimes it's used
610
00:39:51.000 --> 00:39:55.199
to simply stifle transparency. Authorities don't really have to justify
611
00:39:55.239 --> 00:39:58.440
their reasoning behind the use of exemptions unless you really
612
00:39:58.480 --> 00:40:01.039
decide to fight them on it, which tends to cost money.
613
00:40:01.440 --> 00:40:03.639
But the unique thing about this case is that they
614
00:40:03.679 --> 00:40:06.199
gave me the gist of the case file and they're
615
00:40:06.280 --> 00:40:09.559
keeping some supplemental part of it because they believe making
616
00:40:09.599 --> 00:40:14.559
that information public could interfere with law enforcement proceedings. If
617
00:40:14.559 --> 00:40:17.280
they were just being lazy or felt like blocking me
618
00:40:17.400 --> 00:40:21.440
for no reason, they could have seven aided the whole thing. Basically,
619
00:40:21.480 --> 00:40:24.239
what I'm saying is this might be a legit use
620
00:40:24.280 --> 00:40:27.320
of that exemption. Maybe there really is something more to
621
00:40:27.400 --> 00:40:31.519
this disappearance, and that something is foul play. How exactly
622
00:40:31.559 --> 00:40:34.320
that would play out in this situation and why I
623
00:40:34.360 --> 00:40:37.880
have no idea. Peter Jackson was an older fellow at
624
00:40:37.920 --> 00:40:41.760
a seasonal campground in Yosemite. It's not really the typical
625
00:40:41.840 --> 00:40:44.960
target for a human predator. I suppose you could say
626
00:40:44.960 --> 00:40:47.679
that the location is ideal for committing a crime and
627
00:40:47.800 --> 00:40:51.119
hiding a body, but moving a body around the mountains
628
00:40:51.119 --> 00:40:54.599
would be tough in any situation. Ultimately, I don't know
629
00:40:54.639 --> 00:40:58.039
what's happening here. Initially the case really appeared to be
630
00:40:58.119 --> 00:41:01.719
a classic case of misadventure in Yosemite, but the more
631
00:41:01.760 --> 00:41:04.719
you learn, the less that makes sense. They found a
632
00:41:04.760 --> 00:41:08.360
backpack in an odd location, there was no body, and
633
00:41:08.400 --> 00:41:11.880
I'm assuming no hiking poles. So how did Peter Jackson
634
00:41:11.960 --> 00:41:15.159
get out to this region or why was he out there?
635
00:41:15.639 --> 00:41:18.920
Something about this doesn't add up, and when that happens,
636
00:41:19.199 --> 00:41:22.599
foul play could certainly be the answer. If Peter Jackson
637
00:41:22.679 --> 00:41:26.079
is still in Yosemite, he's probably somewhere in this area,
638
00:41:26.559 --> 00:41:29.239
although I'd be surprised if there's much left at this
639
00:41:29.400 --> 00:41:33.400
point given the number of scavenging animals in the park. Frankly,
640
00:41:33.519 --> 00:41:36.079
I'm more surprised that foul play could be a likely
641
00:41:36.159 --> 00:41:40.840
explanation for this disappearance. Murder and national parks, especially those
642
00:41:40.840 --> 00:41:44.320
that occur at random, is pretty uncommon, but it seems
643
00:41:44.360 --> 00:41:46.760
like this is the direction the NPS might be going
644
00:41:46.840 --> 00:41:49.960
with this, So who knows what may come of this case.
645
00:41:50.199 --> 00:41:53.280
Things are discovered all the time, people wandering around in
646
00:41:53.320 --> 00:41:57.079
the back country stumble across items and remains. It already
647
00:41:57.119 --> 00:42:00.519
happened once in this case, maybe it'll happen again, and
648
00:42:00.599 --> 00:42:03.400
maybe then we'll get some answers. Let me know what
649
00:42:03.480 --> 00:42:06.320
you think about all this and the comments below. Am
650
00:42:06.360 --> 00:42:09.199
I overthinking this one? Is it really a lot more
651
00:42:09.239 --> 00:42:12.920
simple than it all appears. Share your thoughts and until
652
00:42:13.000 --> 00:42:15.159
next time, thanks for watching.