And it was in Seattle. Red hair. It was easy for fellow hikers to remember the young woman with the bald, tattooed head. In addition to the swastika tattoo, Carr posted a video since deleted of himself wearing a hat with an Iron Cross. Two years later as Kevin Dares hikes uphill searching for Lakoduk, snow is a distant memory. Were going to have to make some changes.. That can lead to profiteering and exploitation, with some bad operators capitalizing on grief to make a buck. That was the last time they spoke. Granite Falls, Washington. Hed recently graduated. Some posters there report having read the public records on the FB Truth Group before it was made private. On Friday nights, she joined Turner for what they called Rantwine and cathartic heart-to-hearts. See Photos. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. He watches crime shows, so he tells me, Theres always a dungeon where they lock them up. I'm sure you've met them, the kind who are super into crystal healing but also love them some jesus? Sam's mother, Lisa Yax Sayers, declined to be interviewed for this story. Charismatic in the most genuine way. Sam was a proud LGBTQ ally, thriving on activism. A big open space where it looks like you can see everything. Polite. He continued up despite the plan to meet. Jun 2004 - Mar 20138 years 10 months. He thanked him. Samantha Sayers Business & Communications Graduate | Operations, Documentation, & Customer Success | Bilingual Idaho Falls, Idaho, United States. She built that fire. Dares moves quickly up the hill using an ice axe to bite into moss, scrambling over rocks and ducking trees. Friends created a group page called Find Sam Sayers#findsamsayers, to be specificthat would grow to more than 30,000 followers. Adams, a lawman with a chiseled face that eschews theatrics, advised the frantic boyfriend not to go back out alone in the predawn hoursbut he also wouldnt stop him. That self-promotion is an intentional choice, Carr said. He added fuel to the fire when one person asked if hed have left the note if it was a man. Once the proper trail peters out in the dirt and heather, its common for every comer to pick their own way. Follow mountain man Bud Carr. I'm not sure how this type of stuff is going to play out, there seem to be a lot of fingers in the pot. He looks drained. It was a bucket-list objective, her husband Jamie Lakoduk said. Reflecting on that time, Dares said lots of people offered to help and some followed through. Been trying for a week now I thought it was shut down (I'm social media challenged) 3 People can say whatever they want, that man steps up more than anybody Ive ever met, despite his faults.. Samantha Sayers is still missing. August 1 had long since rolled into August 2, the first day of the search for Sam Sayers. In videos posted to his own YouTube channel, he is combative and confident about his mountain experience. I was a member of that group, but found them to be really gossipy, and petty. Originally from New Orleans, his leisurely drawl belying a sharp wit and quick tongue. The trail was hard to follow, obscured by snow, above the tree line and exposed to the elements. Kim Turner, a Belltown community health therapist already close with Kevin, quickly befriended his new girlfriend. And then, a breakthrough. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Why? No ones seen a single trace of Sam Sayers since. Among them is a former Marine, who days after Rachel Lakoduk went missing on Oct. 17, 2019, spent an entire night searching for her. A Seattle hotelier and real estate developer. Psychics and shamans relayed visions. So forgive Kevin for being a bit antisocial sometimes. That was what had pinged. By 6 p.m., her boyfriend Kevin Dares was worried. A search ensued unlike anything the state of Washington has ever seen. He calls it the rabbit hole, one that can swallow you. Its a sad, broken system in the United States. Learning to, if not love, at least tolerate the mountains. Everett Mountain Rescue, a specialized group of volunteers equipped to explore Vespers alpine environment, joined the operation. If your loved one is missing the odds are low that public sector law enforcement is going to find them, said David Francis, the founder of the Jon Francis Foundation named in honor of his son who went missing in the Idaho Sawtooths in 2006. 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. Seven years of Dateline's Missing in America: 156 still missing. And three or four sandwiches, plus snacks; she never skimped on snacks. Dares insisted on paying Carr $500 a week during the heat of the Sayers search. But at that moment, on the steep side of a North Cascades mountain, Dares is shaking. Lakoduk continued up. The sergeant fielded endless rumors and accusations, about whether FLIR was really operationalit wasor why he wasnt using bloodhounds (wrong terrain, he says). Using his cell phone for illumination under a moon just past full, he retreated three-and-a-half miles back to his car. Hes going to have a cigarette, a bad habit that accelerated after Sayers disappeared, and take a nap while the four searchers below him make their way up. And please don't get me started on the multiple GFM accounts. Sayers received court permission to change her last name from Steinbaugh to Sayers in May 2009, after her stepfather adopted her and her brother in February 2009, according to a name-change petition on file at the Erie County Courthouse. I actually got kicked out of the group for calling the admins drama queens . Psychics sent tips to the police Sam is near rocks, trees and water someone reported seeing her in a Walmart in Spokane acting strangely. The paper is there to log the hikers on Sunrise Mine Trail #707, a route that winds to the top of Vesper Peak. We can get statistics on auto accidents but theyre not collected for people missing in the wilderness., The search for Jon lasted only two days before the county sheriff pulled out and, as David remembers, told him he should give his son up to the mountain. This happens all the time. Lots of interesting characters. The countys SAR spent 20,197 hours on missions in 2018, with approximately 8,000 of those hours looking for Sam. As clues go, its not much, just a name: Sam Sayers. It looked like the moon.. 425 775-3000. tips: findsamsayers.infobox@gmail.com. Trained dogs sought scents and human trackers scoured for footprints; others examined the creek. She and Kevin, a single dad of three, moved in together. They were among the outside experts Kevin hired using money from the GoFundMe. It's a dangerous hobby for someone not really experienced, or competent, or truly prepared. Over a week ago, Samantha "Sam" Sayers, whose 28th birthday is on Aug.. He took to Vesper and pioneered his own way off trail; from the brush he counted more than 100 people on the day the reward was posted. at 1 PM just accidentally, not because Kevin Dares called her, make him . To my understanding, both the Truth group is no longer accepting new members. Carr knew what so many recreationists did not, that Vesper Peak wasnt just a subalpine playland of rocks and cliffs. One witness claimed she saw Sam playing a TV show on her phone while hiking that day, an episode of The Bachelorette. Kevin agrees to wait. Jamie Lakoduk is a big redheaded man who looks like he could rip you in half but has the demeanor of a teddy bear. Eventually, even that produced a splinter group, The Truth of the Sam Sayers Case UNCENSORED. It had never happened before. In his short tenure, Adams had already honed his instincts on missing hiker cases. His sarcastic southern faade slips. Dares was a wreck. Idk, I am not there. Jamie hoped theyd repair the marriage. To Kevin, Carr was a generous stranger turned close friend, willing to take the Louisiana tenderfoot through the rugged terrain around Vesper Peak. And the military stuff, thats part of his Buddhist-warrior ethos and hes never claimed to have served. Sams trace. Youve got to be a little crazy to do that.. She loved animals, snakes, frogs, horses it didnt matter and hated dolls, her father said. But thats cold comfort for the families left behind. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. At a Unicorn bar drag brunch in 2017, Turner remembers Sams cheers at the flamboyant performance, the loudest person there, giving the biggest tips. Spiders rappelling into your hair. As clues go, it's not much, just a name: Sam Sayers. "Please take a moment to look at their faces and read and share their stories. Other day trippers would recall seeing the solo hiker stripped down to her bra and hiking pants. Up at camp, just below the stone summit pyramid, the buzz of Facebook was distant. Sam had hiked Vesper Peak before, but its a rigorous trail. For everyone commenting about her mom going crazy in the aftermath of this, I can tell you for certain she's always been this way. All she had on her was "three sandwiches, some chips and water" and no cold weather gear for nighttime. Its hot, humid and even he a Louisiana native is sweating. Despite those challenges, when Samantha Sayers went missing in 2018, county and state agencies spent 22 days searching for her. Not in our experience, states the post. The tether didnt lead back to Sam at all. Now that I've heard more theories on that front, his story sounds weirder and weirder. I never once even peeped at it before because I was under LYS's cult spell and I thought if I deflected there I'd get blocked from her page. An Eagle Scout whod earned almost every merit badge, Carr was raised by a father who introduced him to both search and rescue and a defiant, self-sufficient ethos. I went to high school with Sam, and her mom was always that uber-intense type. That sunny August Wednesday, a hiker stopped a few hundred feet below the top, right above the meadow where Kevin would one day erect his camp. The tattoos on her scalp, Kevin says, were armor. When Carr calls, Dares packs his bag and heads out as a way of paying it back to him and everyone else who helped. I'm happy to PM you with my FB name so you can invite me. Members of the Find Sam Sayers group began referring to themselves as Sams Army, calling elected officials en masse to demand more resources. Online, critics pulled up evidence of past felonieshe helped burgle a gun store before Y2K, he admits, but found Buddhism in his four years in Missouri prison. I'm just glad I'm seeing the "light" now (pun totally intended). It was easy for fellow hikers to remember the young woman with the bald, tattooed head and the wide, easy smile. Carr posted a picture of himself lying on the floor surrounded by expensive freeze-dried meals. Carr continues talking about his tattoos, all of which (except for the ones on his back) he did himself, Yes sir, Im ambidextrous, he says. So forgive Kevin for being a bit antisocial. Been trying for a week now I thought it was shut down (I'm social media challenged). I think shes hurt.. 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. Back on the mountain the rest of the group makes it to Lakoduks final resting spot. In regular live videos, she implied that the Sayers family was undergoing its own investigation; the Dares family interpreted cryptic statements as accusations against Kevin and sent a cease and desist letter. Independent consultancy providing strategic and operational expertise to both large and small-scale commercial FMCG clients, and pro bono consultancy focused on strategy and operations optimisation for not-for-profit clients. His biggest complaint? Rainier. Think what you will of Carr, Dares said, but the fact is hes offering hope and a service that no one else is. His dad sold his shares in the business and the family moved to Port Townsend, Washington, poured the gold money into a salvage diving company, sold that and moved to Missouri. I know theres some crazy shot going down now. In Snohomish, calls often come for underprepared or overdue teens; once SAR launches a response on the Mountain Loop Highway, he usually gets a call from sheepish parents saying the missing had just returned home. His advice? But something catches his eye to the right, in a depression beneath a tree, a flash of orange out of place in the rain-fed greenery. When I dream shes always getting kidnapped. The unknown, he says time and time again, is the hard part.Sometimes he can joke about the idea that Sam had orchestrated her own disappearance, a kind of Gone Girl stunt that would melt the internet: Youve been chilling in the woods for five months? For more information, please see our Super driven. Not sure about the pad., Carr interjects, Orange, orange Therm-a-Rest.. He peeks under logs and behind boulders. At some point, she realized things were bad and turned around. What a complete waste of resources, and all for what? An accomplished smoker, American Spirits blue. Kevin Dares with Sam at a New Orleans wedding in 2017. And everything tilted at an absurd angle 35 to 40 degrees making progress a thing measured in hundreds of feet, not miles. She was last seen wearing dark gray pants and a maroon hoodie. By 8 p.m., he was at the trail, trying to track her down. But even he doesnt think Carr is a grief profiteer or a charlatan. Missing people usually leave a signature, family members filled Ziploc bags with snacks and instructions for Sam, Cheryl Phillips, a dog handler from South Carolina, and her search dog Raven, In October the occasional snow flurries turned to regular snowfall, Ski Areas Shift to Mountain Bike Parks in Summer, The Insider's Guide to Visiting North Cascades National Park. Kevin was expecting a call from Sam, his live-in girlfriend, by 6pm. Instead, families looking for closure often turn to individuals or foundations to keep the search for their loved ones going. If you're not cool with that thats fine too. However, tens of thousands remain missing for more than one year according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs). Not to mention, my husband from day one (I've been following since 8/5 or so) has said the BF has something to do with it. The official search for Sam went on for 22 days. Samantha Jane Sayers (sammiieeiilikeeiitsayerss) See Photos. Ive always been of a warrior mindset. Amateur sleuths followed the case like the podcast Serial or a season of True Detective. Reasonable. Thanks to their flexible schedules, they cruised Cascade trails midweekSam in her sports bra and Kevin in jeans, a Southerners rebuke of Northwest tech-gear chic. He met Rachel when she was a senior in high school. PM me and Ill add yall. The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office led the. 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. From his home in Minnesota, David Francis says that in the decade hes followed lost hiker cases, hes never seen anything like it. Several GoFundMe campaigns popped up. 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.. Dont touch anything, he says. He also worries that such rogue searchers put themselves in danger. 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. But he knows that any scenario where Sams alive is a dark one. Two boots. So we go to the woods, the mountains, the thin air of the alpine. 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. Aug. 29, 2021 See Photos. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. This is known. The happiest situation I can think of is shes on that mountain and it was something quick and she didnt suffer for too long., Only a fraction of missing persons cases are truly without a trace, truly unsolved. Since that awful autumn of 2018, Dares has returned the favor. Samantha Sayers went on a solo hike in Washington's Vesper Peak on August 1 and hasn't been seen or heard from since then. Vieira said Sayers wore a wig in high school, but one .