Disappearance of Dennis Martin

Dennis Martin
Born Dennis Lloyd Martin
(1962-06-20)June 20, 1962
Disappeared June 14, 1969 (aged 6)
Spence Field, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, U.S.
Status Missing for 49 years, 4 months and 3 days
Known for Extensive search
Home town Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
Height 4 ft (122 cm)
Weight 55 lb (25 kg)
Parent(s)
  • William C. Martin (father)
Relatives Clyde E. Martin (great-grandfather)
Family Douglas Martin (brother)

Dennis Lloyd Martin (born June 20, 1962) is an American child who disappeared on June 14, 1969 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee at the age of six. The search effort was the most extensive in the Park's history, involving approximately 1,400 searchers and a 56-square mile area.

Disappearance

Martin, a resident of Knoxville, was visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park along with his father, grandfather and older brother on Father's Day weekend in 1969. They hiked from Cades Cove to Russell Field and camped overnight. The next day, they hiked to Spence Field near the Appalachian Trail, where they planned to spend the night. Martin disappeared at 16:30 while playing hide-and-seek with his brother and other children; he was last seen going behind a bush to hide, intending on surprising his father at another location. After being missing for about five minutes, his family became concerned and began searching for him. After several hours, they sought help from National Park Service Rangers.[1][2]

Investigation

Search efforts, including a separate search by the National Guard and Special Forces[3][4] found no trace. Heavy rains during the first day's search hampered efforts, [5] and heavy mist the next day.[6] Up to 1,400 people were involved in the search effort, potentially obscuring possible clues.[7] Footprints were found in the area, but dismissed as being Martin's.[8] A shoe and sock were also found.[9] More than a thousand searchers continued to look until June 26, when the search was cut back.[10] The search was abandoned on June 29, after a last search.[11] The search was officially closed down on September 14, 1969.[12]

Aftermath

Martin's father offered a $5,000 USD (equivalent to $33,367 in 2017) reward for information.[13] Psychics, including Jeane Dixon, offered clues, but nothing was found.[14] A few years after, a ginseng-hunter discovered the scattered skeletal remains of a small child in Big Hollow, Tremont. He kept the find to himself until 1985 for fear of prosecution. A subsequent search turned up nothing.[15]

The unsuccessful search for Martin led the National Park Service to review and amend its policies on searches for missing people.[4]

Theories

Three main theories exist about what happened to Martin.[15]

  • The first is that he became lost and perished from exposure or some other cause, likely during the first night.
  • The second is that he was attacked by a hungry bear (or, less likely, a feral pig) and carried off.[4]
  • The third is that he was abducted and taken out of the park by a human. His father is a proponent of the third theory.[16] On the afternoon that Martin disappeared, tourist Harold Key heard an "enormous, sickening scream" and shortly thereafter witnessed "a rough-looking man moving stealthily in the woods" before getting into a white car and driving away, lending credence to the latter theory. Park Rangers and the Federal Bureau of Investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to link the sighting to Martin's disappearance, particularly given that Key's sighting was approximately five miles away from where Martin disappeared.[15][4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "7-Year-Old Boy [sic] Missing In Smokies". Kingsport Times. 16 June 1969. p. 1. Retrieved 16 July 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ Charles R. Farabee (2005). Death, Daring, and Disaster: Search and Rescue in the National Parks. Taylor Trade Publications. p. 276. ISBN 978-1-58979-182-4.
  3. ↑ "Green Berets Join Search For Boy". Greenwood, South Carolina: The Index-Journal. 17 June 1969. p. 8. Retrieved 16 July 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Michael Bradley (2016). Death in the Great Smoky Mountains: Stories of Accidents and Foolhardiness in the Most Popular Park. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4930-2563-3.
  5. ↑ "Rain Hampers Efforts To Find Child, 7 [sic], in Park". Albuquerque Journal. 16 June 1969. p. 6. Retrieved 16 July 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Mountain 'Smoke' Defeats Searchers". Kingsport Times. 17 June 1969. p. 1. Retrieved 16 July 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Dinata Misovec (2017). Big Creek: A Closer Look at a National Park. Hugo House Publishers, Ltd. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-936449-89-7.
  8. ↑ "Hopes Fading For Boy Lost In Mountains". The Marion Star. 18 June 1969. p. 16. Retrieved 16 July 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Shoeless Footprint Found". Kingsport Times. 18 June 1969. p. 1. Retrieved 16 July 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Slim Hope Left For Lost Boy". Burlington, North Carolina: The Daily Times-News. 26 June 1969. p. 2. Retrieved 16 July 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "A Last Sad Search For Dennis". The Gastonia Gazette. 29 June 1969. p. 24. Retrieved 16 July 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Escar Thompson (15 June 1970). "Great Smokies Keep Mum On Secret Of Lost Child". Lumberton, North Carolina: The Robesonian. p. 6. Retrieved 16 July 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Reward Offered For Boy Missing In Great Smokies". Danville, Virginia: The Bee. 9 August 1969. p. 8. Retrieved 16 July 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Kurt Repanshek (June 14, 2009). "Unresolved Search-and-Rescue Cases Are Scattered Throughout the National Parks". National Parks Traveler. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  15. 1 2 3 Jim Balloch (June 28, 2009). "Search in Smokies for lost boy, Dennis Martin, produces lessons for future searches". Knoxville News-Sentinel. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  16. ↑ Dennis Martin Case Study Inland SAR Planning
  • Carolyn Atkin (20 June 1969). "Only A Search Party On his 7th Birthday". Kingsport Times. p. 13. Retrieved 16 July 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  • Hayley Martin (December 10, 2008). "Great Smoky Mountain Disappearance". TNJN. Archived from the original on 7 August 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  • Dennis Martin at NamUs
  • Dennis Martin at The Doe Network
  • "Dennis Martin". For People Like Me. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  • "Dennis Lloyd Martin". The Charley Project. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  • "TN - Dennis Martin, 6, Great Smoky Mountains NP, 14 June 1969". Websleuths. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  • Dennis Martin at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.